Death Dimension
by Agent Dark Moose
Summary: [DEAD] While fighting a demon that escaped from prison, the Tantei are sent into an alternate dimension where werewolves, vampires, and other creatures reign. However, when sent there, they are transformed into the actual creatures that inhabit the world.
1. Never Dare A Demon

**Death Dimension**

**Disclaimer:** **Yu Yu Hakusho belongs to Yoshihiro Togashi, Shonen Jump, FUNimation, etc. However, I _do _own Taikyo, the plot, and the alternate universe.**

**-----**

**Chapter One: Never Dare a Demon**

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"_Lord Koenma!_"

With a frown, the demigod looked up from the rather long paper that contained a complaint about one of his spirit guides to see the bubbly deity running towards him. "Yes, Botan? What's wrong?"

The girl skidded to a halt in front of his desk, her eyes wide with panic. "O-One of the demons e-escaped from the U-Underworld Prison when t-they were going in to t-torture him!"

Koenma jumped to his feet, forgetting about his previous activity. "Do you know what prisoner it was?"

"H-Hai, Koenma-san!" Botan replied, trying to calm herself down. As soon as she had caught her breath, she continued. "It was Taikyo..." **(1)**

A kind of choking noise escaped the demigod as he pulled up the profile database on the large screen in front of his desk. After entering the youkai's name, the profile on him came up.

In a shaking voice, Koenma began to recite the information. "Taikyo... A four-hundred year old demon capable of opening portals to any time, place, or dimension... Has only been caught once before..."

"And that was when we caught him, right? Before Yusuke came to us..." Botan whispered. "Well, I'm sure that he'll be able to handle this guy, right?"

Koenma shrugged. "I'm not sure... If Taikyo can open portals at random, I don't even know if Kurama could take him on..."

Simultaneously, they both gulped before Koenma spoke again. "...Assemble the entire team. We can't allow this demon to roam free any longer."

Botan nodded, and hurried out of the room, looking quite distraught. Koenma slumped back in his chair, starring up at the screen forlornly.

'_If this turns into another catastrophe, I'm going to go through with those permanent vacation plans...'_

**---**

Yusuke sighed as he and his friends continued to trudge through the dense forest. Botan had come with a presumably vital case for the Tantei, and she had wasted no time in getting the team together and sending them off to save the world, as usual. Behind him, Hiei and Kuwabara were slowly slipping into another verbal fight, while Kurama lingered next to him, alert for any sign of the renegade demon.

The detective turned to Kurama, intent on figuring out exactly how their enemy's powers worked. "So... What did Botan mean when she said that this Taikyo guy can open up portals whenever he wants to?"

The kitsune glanced at him before returning to observing the area. "Basically, Taikyo can create a rip between time, dimension, or location when he desires to. For example, when we're fighting him, he could create a portal between you and him when you're in a headlong charge, sending you careening into the rip."

"...What?" Yusuke asked, and the former Youko sweat-dropped. "I'm sorry if I'm not as smart as you, but-"

"He can make a portal to anywhere he wants, so be prepared. We'll leave it at that." Kurama muttered, ducking under a low branch.

"...Oh. Why didn't you say so?" the detective said, causing Kurama to shake his head mockingly. "Hey, don't give me tha-"

A sudden snapping sound and a loud cry of pain interrupted their conversation, and the two spun around to see Kuwabara lying on the ground, clutching his arm, while Hiei stalked up to them, looking positively infuriated.

"Geez, Hiei, what'd you do to him!" Yusuke exclaimed as he ran over to his friend's side.

The Jaganshi growled deeply. "He insulted my heritage, so I broke his arm. Do you have a problem with that, Detective?"

"Well, you didn't exactly help this mission, Hiei!" Yusuke responded, helping Kuwabara to his feet before glancing over to the kitsune. "You don't happen to have anything that can heal him, do you?"

Kurama paused before nodding, ignoring the dark glare that Hiei shot him. "Hai, I believe that I do..."

The former Youko made his way over to the youth, who was whimpering pitifully. Reaching into his scarlet locks, Kurama pulled out a small seed which he inserted into a cut in Kuwabara's arm. "It will take around half an hour to work."

"Thanks..." Kuwabara muttered, while shooting an angry look at the fire apparition, who merely scoffed in reply.

Letting out a sigh, Yusuke began to make his way down the path again. "C'mon, we should hurry..."

"I believe that won't be necessary."

Immediately, the Tantei spun around to face the direction that they heard the voice from. Hiei quickly drew his katana upon reflex, while Kurama pulled out a rose, hurriedly manipulating it into a whip.

An eerie laugh came from the darkness of the trees that lined the path. "It would not be wise to fight me... If those idiots up in the Reikai told you anything, you'd know why..."

Yusuke glowered at where he assumed that the youkai was. "Why don't you come out and stop playing hide-and-seek like a kid?"

"That really hurt, ningen... I am anything _but _a child..." the demon replied, his voice dripping in sarcasm. Slowly, and almost dramatically, he stepped out of the shadows, revealing his appearance. He had shoulder-length navy blue hair, and rather hypnotic silver eyes. Smirking at the group, which showed off his demonic fangs, he spoke again. "I do hope that you know that I won't be coming with you easily, nor coming with you at all."

"That's what you think." Yusuke retorted, readying his Spirit Gun. However, before he could fire, Taikyo vanished. A shimmering light was left in his place, which disappeared a second later.

Yusuke looked around wildly, trying to locate the demon. A sudden yell from Kuwabara made him spin around, only to falter when he saw his friend in Taikyo's grip. His fists clenched, and he glared daggers at the enemy. "Put him down. Now."

"Actually, I think that I won't... Perhaps I could just get rid of him?" the demon answered with a psychotic grin in place. Making a diagonal slash in mid-air, he opened another shining portal. He held Kuwabara in front of it threateningly. "Give me one reason to, and I swear that I will..."

Kuwabara swung an arm at Taikyo, attempting to hit him away. However, the demon caught his fist single-handedly, smirking down at him.

Yusuke tensed, feeling panic begin to settle into his mind. As he spoke again, his voice shook with anger and a slight hint of fear. "Don't you _dare..._!"

A soft cackle escaped Taikyo. "Never dare a demon, ningen... It will prove to be deadly..."

Yusuke's breath caught in his throat as he saw Taikyo pull back his arm before throwing Kuwabara into the portal.

Without thinking, the detective charged at the youkai, seething with rage. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Hiei and Kurama doing the same. However, before they could hit Taikyo, the demon vanished.

A choke of fear came from Yusuke as he tried to stop himself. His feet dug into the ground as he leaned backward, while he also felt something wrap around his waist. He winced as he felt thorns dig into his flesh, and he recognized it to be Kurama's whip. A sudden weight came from the other end of the whip, and Yusuke saw Hiei gripping the kitsune as well.

Yet Yusuke's momentum was too great, and it carried him straight into the rip. Two shouts came from behind him, and he knew that he was pulling his friends in with him.

The last thing he felt was a tingling sensation, and a sudden pain in his shoulder blades. After that, all Yusuke knew was darkness...

**---**

Koenma and Botan stood frozen before the screen as they watched their entire team hurtle into the portal. It closed behind them, leaving not a trace behind. Taikyo then opened up another rip, which he disappeared through.

Botan let out a strangled gulp as she turned to the demigod. "N-Now what, L-Lord Koenma...?"

Koenma paused before shaking his head. "...We watch what happens... There's nothing that we can do for them. We have no way of knowing where that portal led to, unless we catch Taikyo somehow... Otherwise, they're on their own."

The deity sniffed loudly, staring back at the screen with watery violet eyes. "...Why did this have to happen...?"

Koenma hesitantly pulled her into an embrace, running a hand through her hair while she sobbed onto his shoulder. "I don't know, Botan... I don't know..."

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**(1)** Taikyo: the sky / the universe


	2. Without A Soul

**Death Dimension**

**Disclaimer:** **Yu Yu Hakusho belongs to Yoshihiro Togashi, Shonen Jump, FUNimation, etc. However, I _do _own Taikyo, the plot, and the alternate universe.**

**Warnings: This story contains _mild shonen ai_. If anyone has a problem with that, don't tell me. I don't care.**

**-----**

**Chapter Two: Without A Soul**

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_A choke of fear came from Yusuke as he tried to stop himself. His feet dug into the ground as he leaned backward, while he also felt something wrap around his waist. He winced as he felt thorns dig into his flesh, and he recognized it to be Kurama's whip. A sudden weight came from the other end of the whip, and Yusuke saw Hiei gripping the kitsune as well._

_Yet Yusuke's momentum was too great, and it carried him straight into the rip. Two shouts came from behind him, and he knew that he was pulling his friends in with him._

_The last thing he felt was a tingling sensation, and a sudden pain in his shoulder blades. After that, all Yusuke knew was darkness..._

**---**

A low groan came from the detective from his position on the ground. His whole body ached, especially his back. Wincing slightly, Yusuke pushed himself up, noticing the forest around him. _'What...? I thought we fell into a portal. Shouldn't we be somewhere else...?'_

Moaning softly, he glanced around the area. A flash of white from his left caught his eye, and he crawled over to it. Upon further examination, the detective found that it was a pure white flower that had bright pink and green spots covering the petals, along with a peculiar striped stem.

'_Okay, I know for sure that this isn't a normal Ningenkai flower...' _Yusuke thought as he tentatively reached out to stroke one of the leaves on the stem. However, when he was almost an inch away, a large dark shape behind him caught his attention.

Yusuke whipped around, only to see nothing. A rustling sound reached his ears, and he spun around again, quicker this time, yet he was still met with the same sight. He frowned in annoyance. Something was there, and he had to find out what; otherwise, he'd probably go insane with anxiety.

The detective jumped when something brushed against his shoulder, and rested there. He didn't look back, afraid of what he'd see; instead, he tugged at the object on his shoulder and brought his hand back to his face to examine, ignoring the dull pain that he felt when he had pulled on the object.

'_A... A black feather...?' _Yusuke choked slightly at the thought as he realized what it came from. With a strangled gulp, he looked behind him, letting out a yell of shock a second later.

The detective's vision spun and he felt his legs begin to shake. Unable to stop himself, Yusuke collapsed back to the ground, having only one coherent thought.

'_What the hell happened to me...?'_

**---**

Kurama's eyes immediately snapped open as soon as he regained consciousness. Something didn't seem right. The kitsune sat up, ignoring the sharp pain in his left leg as he glanced around the forest. It seemed to be the same as the one they were in earlier, but Kurama knew that it wasn't. Tentatively, the former Youko sniffed the air, letting out a rather loud gasp when the barrage of scents filled his nose, instantly creating a migraine.

Raising a hand to his forehead to try and dull the headache, Kurama began to sort through the scents. Eleven of them came from plants of species that he knew, while fifty-six came from ones that he did not. Three scents were of his teammates, though they appeared to be a bit different. Another fifteen were ones that he couldn't identify. Finally, Kurama recognized the heavy stench of death surrounding the forest.

Also, it appeared to be around one in the morning, the lack of sunlight causing everything to be covered in shadows.

Well, at least he knew for sure that _something_ wasn't right.

A frown found its way onto the kitsune's visage. He knew that they weren't in the Ningenkai; that part was obvious. The Makai? No, none of these plants were native to any of the three worlds that Kurama was extremely familiar with, so that also excluded the Reikai.

A small growl escaped him. Too much thinking; not helping the migraine at all...

'_But finding out my location is more important. I'll deal with the headache later.' _the redhead corrected himself.

His mind drifted to their battle with Taikyo, and what the youkai had said; no, that wouldn't help... The fox already knew that daring a demon was as good as signing a death wish. Instead, Kurama thought back to what Koenma had told them of the demon's power: the ability to create a portal to any time, place, or dimension.

...Wait a minute...

...**_Dimension?_**

The thief stiffened, instantly alert. If they really _had _been sent into an alternate universe, he had no knowledge of the beings that inhabited it; whether they were dangerous, gentle, or fearful of people was unknown.

Kurama got up from his kneeling position and onto his feet, sniffing the air again to find the fire apparition. After confirming Hiei's location, the former Youko sped off in that direction, wincing as a jolt of pain traveled up from his ankle. Apparently, he had sprained it one way or another.

The Jaganshi's scent led him into a much darker part of the forest, which was also incredibly wild and untamed. The trees grew thicker and close together here, giving Kurama next to no space to wriggle through. There was no path to follow, and the kitsune knew that if he lost track of Hiei's scent, he'd probably spend weeks wandering aimlessly before finding the boundary.

Kurama stopped when the trail ended, and he looked around. No sign of Hiei. Growing worried, the fox glanced up, and let out an audible sigh of relief when he saw the familiar black cloak in the tree above him.

However, as he began to climb, that same paranoid feeling came back, telling him that something was wrong... that the situation wasn't how it was supposed to be...

As Kurama reached the branch that Hiei was on, he bit his lip. Something about the apparition was different, but the kitsune couldn't quite place it. Maybe it was how strands of Hiei's ebony hair were hanging in front of his eyes, or how he seemed rather limp, or that his skin was paler than usual...

Or maybe it was because he wasn't breathing.

**---**

_Darkness..._

_Shadows..._

_Nothing at all..._

_But was it really that bad?_

_Hiei opened his eyes to see black. Everything was black... It was an abyss. He frowned and stood, trying to ignore the sharp pain in his chest. His crimson eyes traveled over the void, trying to determine where exactly he was._

_The pain in his chest instantaneously doubled, and a gasp of anguish escaped the apparition. A sudden wisp of white smoke erupted around him, along with a piercing scream._

_Wait..._

_**His **scream..._

_Hiei fought to stay upright, but despite his efforts, he collapsed to his knees. While gritting his teeth in agony, the Jaganshi opened one eye partially to look up at the supposed smoke. To his surprise, it seemed to be taking the form of himself, yet it remained transparent... _

_Hiei's eyes widened in horror when he realized that it was his soul leaving him. A choking gasp came from him as he crumpled to the ground, his eyes instantly falling closed._

'_**So, this... this must be Death...'**_

**---**

A sound of irritation escaped Kuwabara as he found that he was right where he started: next to a gigantic tree that looked like it was hundreds--no, _thousands_--of years old. He had been wandering around this accursed forest for at least an hour, and he'd gotten no where. Plus, his team was missing.

That was another thing: he couldn't track them at all. His sixth sense seemed like it had disappeared, in a way. The ningen couldn't pick up a thing, besides the unnerving feeling that the forest was giving him. Along with that, Kuwabara had found that he couldn't summon his Spirit Sword when he tried.

A sudden cry of misery erupted from the trees around him, seeming to come from his right. The cry soon died away, only to be followed by more wails.

'_It sounds like... someone's hurt... Hey, maybe I should go and see if I can help 'em!'_

Deciding upon this, Kuwabara sped off into the trees again, intent on finding the source of the shrieks. He tried to keep on a straight path, but the crying was coming from the left now, while the trail veered off to the right. Shrugging, Kuwabara left the safety of the trail.

The sound of weeping led him to a cluster of thick trees, and the ningen just barely squeezed through. However, the sight that met his gaze caused him to freeze instantly.

Kurama looked up from the Jaganshi's body, unknowingly revealing the tears that were cascading down his cheeks. He pulled Hiei's form closer to himself, almost protectively...

Kuwabara frowned, and took a step closer. "Fox-Boy, w-what's-?"

"Hiei's dead."

The ningen's eyes widened in disbelief, and he shook his head while trying to process the information. "N-No way... That's not possible...!"

The kitsune looked away, another sob racking his body. "I c-checked for a pulse; there's nothing, no heartbeat... He wouldn't respond when I tried to wake him up..." Kurama's watery gaze wandered to the apparition's face, and he bit his lip incredibly hard to stop the cries from escaping. "...The scent of death surrounds him, Kuwabara... It _is _him..."

Kuwabara's fists clenched at his sides. Sure, Hiei wasn't the greatest guy he knew--er, _had _known--but the shrimp was a teammate. Just the thought of him dying... No. He... He _couldn't_ be dead...!

The ningen slowly made his way over to Kurama, and knelt down next to the Jaganshi's limp form. "...Have you tried giving him some of your life energy...? I mean, it worked for me when Urameshi beat that Suzaku guy..."

Kurama shook his head, not meeting the other's gaze. "It wouldn't work... I've t-tried _everything_..."

Kuwabara fell silent, his eyes downcast.

**---**

'_At least the sobs have stopped...' _Kurama thought sadly as he ran his hands through the Jaganshi's hair. He had been here for at least an hour, if not two, judging by the amount of light getting through the thick canopy above them.

He sighed, forcing his gaze away from Hiei. Kuwabara had fallen asleep a short time ago, leaving the kitsune alone with only a corpse as company. Kurama went back to stroking the unmoving Jaganshi, trying to ignore the unnerving feeling he was getting.

A small, wry smile appeared on the thief's visage. If this was another of his "something is wrong" feelings, he'd probably trust it. After all, they had been correct the first two times... _'It's highly unlikely that I have psychic techniques now... This is purely instinctual, unlike Kuwabara's sixth sen-'_

A low gasp suddenly escaped Kurama. Had he just imagined it, or had Hiei just... twitched?

No... impossible...

The former Youko scoffed. "And now you're hallucinating, Kurama. Wonderful."

However, when a sudden weight rested on his knee, all thoughts on hallucinating and illusions vanished.

Kurama looked down only to see Hiei's hand weakly gripping the kitsune's leg. Kurama's eyes widened in shock, and he swallowed the shout that dared to form, instead settling for a whimper. "H... Hiei...?"

Slowly, one crimson eye fluttered open, locking gazes with the kitsune. "H-Hn... Fox..."

Kurama's hands fell limply to his sides, and he said nothing for a moment before he had embraced the Jaganshi, crying softly. "Hiei... W-What happened!"

A look of surprise appeared on Hiei's visage before he relaxed, being too tired to put up a struggle. "...I died..."

"What?" the kitsune asked, pulling back slightly. "But then... How are you-?"

"I don't know, fox." Hiei muttered softy. "All I know is that I died and that I no longer have a soul. Don't ask me about how I can be in the Living Realm..."

Kurama nodded, returning to stroking him. There was nothing that he could say to comfort the apparition. Sure, Youko Kurama had "died", but he had never lost his soul as Hiei apparently had...

The Jaganshi rested his head on Kurama's shoulder, his eyes closing lazily. "Where are we?"

"I'm not sure. All I know is that we're no longer in any of the Three Worlds." the kitsune replied, biting his lip. "Kuwabara's here, but we still need to find Yusuke-san..."

A soft growl escaped Hiei. "I hate it when you do that..."

Kurama looked slightly surprised. "Do what?"

"Call him like he's superior to you." Hiei snarled out, his fists clenching. "He's not. If anything, the Detective should be referring to you with '-sama'..."

The thief chuckled, unable to stop from blushing lightly. "We'll look for him later, alright...? You should rest."

Hiei raised a brow, unseen by Kurama. "Fox, I'm dead. I assume that I don't need sleep."

"I don't care. Sleep. Now." Kurama ordered, nudging him like a vixen would her children.

Hiei blinked before complying, settling down in his companion's lap. "Did you ever think about having children?"

The kitsune's eyes narrowed, a growl escaping him. Hiei only smirked as he once again fell into the dark state of unconsciousness...

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**A/N**

**Magus Black: **I've never heard of that... I'll check it out sometime, probably once I've got a free day with no homework. Also, your third guess for Hiei was correct, though the others weren't. Gomen! I thought along those lines, but... I'm trying to write something that doesn't follow the normal guidelines for this kind of story. ( However, you _did _mention what Kurama will be, but did not list it as a guess. If you did, tell me. x.X My eyes were hurting when I read your email... ) Though, the idea of Hiei as a mortal is _quite_ enticing...

x. Don't tell me that I didn't "reveal" what Yusuke is, exactly. I think you can take a pretty good guess. Besides, it's for plot-structure.

x. Ningenkai, Makai, Reikai: Human World, Demon World, and Spirit World. ( I'm surprised that some people didn't know this. )

x. Tantei: "detective". ( Reikai Tantei: literally, "the Spirit World Detectives". )

x. If you can't tell what happened to Hiei, here's the summary: Hiei "died", and his soul was ripped away from him. No, he won't be getting it back any time soon.

x. Yes, there's mild shonen ai. Get used to it. I'm a fan of it, so if you dislike it, tough chow. Don't you _dare _review and tell me to take it out. I like it, I want it, and it's _my _story! If you don't like it, write your own!

x. Don't correct me if I get anything wrong on the "symptoms" or details of the supernatural creatures. As I said earlier, _it's my story. _I'll write it how I want. Also, some things just won't fit in for the plot, so I'll be excluding a few.

x. Lousy place to end it, I know. I would have ended it after, "Or maybe it was because he wasn't breathing.", but I'm too kind and decided to give everyone an extra long chapter. Feel special. I don't do this often.

x. And _don't worry! _The action _will _pick up after a few more introductory chapters! ( Maybe around.. two? Or one, if I'm feeling nice. ) It's necessary to do this, otherwise no one would understand a thing about the universe they're in.

x. OOC, whatever. I'm trying as best I can.

**x. Hint: **They've been 'changed' into different beings... Now, let's think about Hiei; what supernatural creature is "dead"? Hm? Any questions? No? Didn't think so.


	3. Former Human, Fallen Angel

**Death Dimension**

**Disclaimer:** **Yu Yu Hakusho belongs to Yoshihiro Togashi, Shonen Jump, FUNimation, etc. However, I _do _own Taikyo, the plot, and the alternate universe.**

**Warnings: This story contains _mild shonen ai_. If anyone has a problem with that, don't tell me. I don't care.**

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**Chapter Three: Former Human, Fallen Angel**

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_The thief chuckled, unable to stop from blushing lightly. "We'll look for him later, alright...? You should rest."_

_Hiei raised a brow, unseen by Kurama. "Fox, I'm dead. I assume that I don't need sleep."_

"_I don't care. Sleep. Now." Kurama ordered, nudging him like a vixen would her children._

_Hiei blinked before complying, settling down in his companion's lap. "Did you ever think about having children?"_

_The kitsune's eyes narrowed, a growl escaping him. Hiei only smirked as he once again fell into the dark state of unconsciousness..._

**---**

_He opened his eyes to see black. Everything was black. He was in an abyss of darkness that never ended. It tried to suffocate him. To press in on him; dwindling into compliance. Working at his death._

_He was about to close his eyes again when he saw something moving far away. Or what seemed to be a blurred distance to him._

_It was darker than the void, holding no sheen to it like a gash of deep shadow. It was a cloud of nothingness. It was soon joined by more smoke-like substance, as if multiplied in his gaze. It appeared to be approaching him. Slowly at first, but then its pace was quickened. The shadow came towards him, increasing its rate of speed until it was rushing at him with full-blown force._

_It seemed to be solid, but at the same time, it wasn't. It was like smoke, but not..._

_He wanted to run, but he couldn't. He couldn't move. He was paralyzed, not able to retaliate as the shadow threw itself at him, pushing him to the blackened and unseen ground._

_He let out a sharp yelp of pain as an edge of the shadow came in contact with the bare flesh of his arm. The pain seared through his limb and continued through his body, tearing at each nerve. It felt like liquid fire. Like someone was pouring a vat of acid onto him with no mercy. _

_The pain was engulfing him, and with his body still not responding as he willed it to move, the only thing he could do was whimper and yelp. He didn't care if he was displaying signs of weakness. The only thing that mattered was escaping these creatures with his life. He didn't care if someone saw him. He just had to fight... He just had to live..._

_He finally regained control of his body, but that was of no value anymore. The shadow consumed him in its thick smoke, making his movements lagging and painful._

_An arm of the living blackness instantaneously washed over his face, filling his mouth and nostrils, cutting off his air. He clawed at it, but his fingers only fell through its gaseous form to gash his own face, causing crimson to mix with the ink black creature as if it fed off his suffering. He flailed madly, yelling as best he could. He attempted to scream, scream so that someone could hear him and come to his aid. He tried to fight them off and get oxygen, but he could only retrieve small gasps through the thick coating._

_He was suddenly overwhelmed in terror and fear, sweat forming on his body and trickling down towards the source of gravity. His lungs burned, begging for air to keep his body alive with._

_But he had nothing to give them. His heart was beating above normal. Above his ability to control it. Above the line. It was using up all the oxygen he had, causing him to hack and cough into the shadow that smothered him. He tried biting it, but that only ended in the shadows pressing down more violently._

_He felt his eyelids droop, though he still continued to fight. He tried every manner of getting the thing off of his body, ignoring the pain that coming in contact with them caused._

_He had to get air...!_

_His eyes widened as he saw another wave of shadow coming towards his already-consumed body. He tried to scream again, but it was futile. The shadow crashed down upon him, causing antagonizing pain to flood through his body, as if the skin was the broken dam and the agony was the water._

_Suddenly, as though a miracle had happened, a wisp of shadow retreated and fell into a curl of disappearing light. Yet before more than two breaths, the shadow had mended, filling into his mouth._

_He hacked and bucked as the foul substance entered. It was disgusting, it soiled his mouth. He felt blood rush up his throat and out, dripping down from his lips, feeding the shadow. It dove deeper to find the source of its nutrition and energy._

_He let his arms drop from exhaustion. He was too tired, he needed to rest. He couldn't go on like this. He would never be able to win this battle in a condition like his._

_He slowly began to succumb to the darkness, feeling it stir in excitement that its captive was forfeiting. It began to enter into his body, diving deeper, past his lungs towards more sensitive organs._

_He couldn't keep up the struggle, and slowly... he began to let himself fade..._

**---**

Hiei's eyes snapped open as he bolted upright, panting heavily and literally gasping for air. He winced; each breath he took sent a spasm of pain through his chest. The Jaganshi gritted his teeth, clenching his eyes shut.

After a few minutes, he calmed down, even though breathing still hurt. Hesitantly, Hiei let all oxygen escape him. Surprisingly, his body didn't ask for more, and his lungs didn't burn in agony.

Hiei glanced around the area, finding that he had been curled up besides the former Youko. The human idiot was leaning on a tree to his left, still snoring loudly. Apparently, the noise Hiei had made during his sleep hadn't been able to wake him.

A frown found its way onto Hiei's visage as his thoughts drifted back to the dream. He hadn't had a nightmare that vivid ever since he had the Jagan implanted...

Hiei's eyes widened, and his hand flew up to his forehead, slipping under the headband. A sigh of relief escaped him when he felt the Third Eye; thankfully, it hadn't vanished along with his soul...

A sudden movement next to him made the Jaganshi spin around, only to see Kurama stirring. The kitsune yawned loudly, stretching much like a cat would. Hiei snorted, and looked away as he drew his knees up to his chest and wrapped his arms around them.

"Hey, Hiei. How'd you sleep?" Kurama murmured, sitting up.

"Hn. I've had better..." He didn't elaborate on the dream; the fox would only worry and pester him for the remainder of the day.

The thief paused before speaking up again. "...Was it a nightmare, Hiei?"

_Dammit, fox. You know that I can't lie to you...! _"...Yes."

Predictably, Kurama instantly looked at him in concern. "Ah... Do you want to talk about it?"

_Of course not, baka. _"Hn, no. I... I wasn't scared, if that's what you're thinking."

The kitsune raised a brow, and Hiei flinched, knowing what was coming. "Of course you weren't, Hiei. Nothing scares you. Not even small, enclosed spaces."

The Jaganshi growled deeply, saying nothing. So what if he was claustrophobic? Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Kurama smirking at him. "Shut _up_, fox!"

The former Youko chuckled, shaking his head mockingly. "If you say so. Anyway, we should start to search for Yusuke-kun. Hopefully, nothing's killed him by now."

"Very funny, Kurama." Hiei murmured as his companion stood.

"I'm being serious. We're in an alternate universe; I highly doubt that everything here is gentle and loving." Kurama replied, offering a hand.

Hiei ignored the hand and pushed himself to his feet. However, his eyes widened as his legs shuddered and gave out under him. The thief caught him quickly, worry flooding into his emerald eyes. "Hiei! What's the matter? Do you feel alright?"

Despite himself, a moan escaped the Jaganshi. He had suddenly been overwhelmed with an utter feeling of weakness that came from nowhere. He had no wounds, and he hadn't lost any blood... From what he could tell, there were no curses placed over him... But he still felt horrible.

Biting back his pride for a moment, Hiei looked up at Kurama, unknowingly clinging to the fox's shirt. "..N... No... S-Something's wrong."

Kurama gently ran a hand over the Jaganshi, noting how pale he had become. "...A side-effect of losing your soul, perhaps...?"

Hiei bit his lip before nodding. "Maybe..."

The kitsune sighed before setting Hiei down again. "I'm going to wake up Kuwabara, okay? We need to find Yusuke-kun as soon as possible."

Hiei slumped to the ground as Kurama went over to the ningen, staring at the grass beneath him dazedly. _'What's happening to me...?'_

**---**

'_Okay, Yusuke, we're gonna try this again... Try not to hallucinate this time...'_

Taking a deep breath, Yusuke opened his eyes and pushed himself into a sitting position. After a few moments, a loud curse escaped him when he felt the unfamiliar weight on his back.

The detective felt his head spinning again, and he bit his lip. He had no idea what had happened, and he had no chance to ponder it as he fainted again.

**---**

Kurama sniffed the air again, trying to ignore the grumbled complaints coming from Kuwabara. They were extremely close to Yusuke; any second now, they'd find him.

The kitsune shoved through a cluster of bushes and into the clearing ahead, trying not to harm the Jaganshi, who was half-asleep in his arms. Sure enough, he recognized the messy black hair of the person who was lying on the ground, and was about to rush over to Yusuke when his steps faltered.

Kuwabara came up behind him. "Hey, Fox-Boy, why'd you s... stop...?"

On the detective's back lay a pair of gossamer black wings, like an angel's. Navy blue markings consisting of jagged lines and other decorations covered his arms, along with two parallel lines on each side of his face. His aura had changed completely, and was now a mixture of a deep purple shade, along with black.

Kurama couldn't help but gulp, his grip tightening on Hiei. "I... I think we may have a problem, Kuwabara..."

Kuwabara's right eye twitched, and nodded. As he spoke, his voice came out high-pitched. "Y-Ya think...?"

Hesitantly, Kurama made his way closer to the detective, instinctively alert. What had happened to him in the time that they were separated...? He kneeled down beside Yusuke, keeping Hiei in his arms. Slowly, he reached out and shook Yusuke's shoulder gently. "Y-Yusuke-kun...?"

When he got no response, Kurama shook him harder. "Yusuke, you need to wake up!"

A sigh of relief escaped him when the detective stirred. At least they knew that he was alive...

Groaning, Yusuke reopened his eyes, only to jump when he saw Kurama looking at him worriedly, Kuwabara staring at him in shock, and a _very _pale Jaganshi clinging to the kitsune. He remained silent for a few moments before speaking. "W-Where are we, Fox-Boy...?"

"Apparently, another dimension." Kurama replied softly, shifting Hiei in his arms before he met his friend's gaze, only to find that the once chocolate-colored orbs had become an endless violet shade. "...What happened to you, Yusuke...?"

The detective took a moment to register the information before responding. "I d-don't know... I woke up like this..."

Kurama bit his lip when he noticed that Yusuke was shaking violently, not seeming to grasp the situation at the moment. Deciding to elaborate, the kitsune spoke up again. "The portal that we fell into obviously led to this alternate universe. Koenma most likely won't be able to contact us, or have any way of knowing where we were sent. His only way of discovering that is by recapturing Taikyo..."

Yusuke glanced up. "And how's he s'posed to do that if we're not there to help?"

Kurama paused; surprisingly, he hadn't thought about this... "I... I'm not sure, Yusuke-kun..."

"Any ideas on how _this _happened to me?" Yusuke murmured.

"...Perhaps..." Kurama said slowly, his tone thoughtful. "...It could have been a fluke in the portal, or... When we were sent into this dimension, it altered what we are, because what we _were _may not exist here... That should explain what transpired with Hiei."

Yusuke sat up shakily, his gaze focusing on the Jaganshi. Kurama noticed this, and answered the unasked question. "He 'died'... His soul was taken from him."

Yusuke's eyes widened in concern, and he instantly forgot about his own misery. "Is he alright?"

Kurama paused. "...Yes, and no... He was fine earlier, but all of sudden he collapsed... He seems very weak at the moment."

"Oh..." Yusuke muttered, frowning. He wanted to ask more, but his head was beginning to hurt. It would have to wait.

Kuwabara, having recovered from his shock, came over to them and attempted to recap the situation. "So... We're stranded in some friggin' dimension place, the shrimp's practically dead, and Urameshi's a freaky bird-thing all of a sudden?"

Yusuke's eyes wandered up to him. "'Not a bird; a dark angel..."

The ningen raised a brow, skeptical. "And how would _you _know? It's not like you're an expert on these monster-things!"

Kurama was surprised to see a small smirk appear on Yusuke's visage as he replied. "...Actually, I've seen a load of movies on supernatural creatures, and know a lot about them."

"That's fortunate." the thief stated, trying to stop an unwanted fight before it started. "From what I can tell, we'll need that knowledge here, Yusuke-kun."

Yusuke nodded in response as he raised a hand to his forehead as the dull ache began to increase. "R-Right, Fox-Boy..."

A look of concern filled the kitsune's emerald eyes, but he brushed it aside for the moment. "Yusuke, we need to find a place to stay for the night. It would be too dangerous to stay here while we don't know what we're up against."

"Uh-huh." the detective muttered.

"Do you have an idea on where that might be...?" Kurama asked softly.

"...Village. Town... Something like that..." the former human grumbled, his eyelids drooping. Behind him, the gossamer wings fluttered slightly. "...Don't ask me how to find one... Just follow that friggin' nose of yours, Fox-Boy..."

Chuckling quietly, the kitsune motioned for Kuwabara to lift Yusuke up. The ningen complied, though still seemed apprehensive of the wings. Kurama also stood, holding the apparently comatose Jaganshi to his chest. "We have no time to waste. For all we know, it could take us the rest of the day to find the edge of this forest, if not longer."

Yusuke sighed, not really hearing the thief as his eyes closed, the pain from the headache causing him to slowly fall unconscious.

'_If Koenma doesn't find someway to get us back, I'll... I'll... Damn.'_

* * *

**A/N**

**Magus Black: **You probably won't know what Kuwabara is until I decide to release it. I _would _have made him a mage, but I needed someone to be this because the plot calls for it. I'm not planning to reveal it for a while, but if you guess correctly, I'll tell you. ( It's not well-known at all; I actually borrowed it from J. K. Rowling's books. n.n; ) True, Hiei could be a ghoul, but he's too awesome for me to do that!

**Hakudoshi-chan: **Bingo! You guessed correctly on Yusuke! Wonderful! ( It was your last guess, by the way. First one to do so, too! You're amazingly awesome. ) Yeah, most people probably know what Hiei is... I'm kind of a kyuuketsuki fanatic. n.n; Unhealthy, I know. And don't worry, you didn't miss anything. As I said in Magus Black's response, I won't be revealing what Kuwabara is for a _long _time. As for Kurama-kun, well... If you look _very _hard, you may find a small hint, but it won't become obvious for a while. Basically, you'd have to do a lot of research to figure out the subtle hints.Sorry about this chapter. It was rather rushed, and is incredibly choppy. I promise that things will pick up in the next chapter. ( Or the one after it, at the latest. )

x. Horrible chapter title, I know. I had no other idea. I'm really sorry about it!

x. The nightmare that Hiei had was actually from my discontinued story, _'Chickenpox'_. It was too good to waste, and I had spent countless hours on it; it'd do a _much _better job here. ( Besides, I was too lazy to make up a completely new dream. n.n; Bad Lynn. )

x. Hiei's Jagan Eye remained because it was an implant, and not a genetic trait. Otherwise, it would have most likely vanished.

x. You're probably thinking, _"What! Hiei, **claustrophobic?** What is this writer on?" _Well, look at it this way: He's always standing by a door or is near a window, and he sleeps outside most of the time. I know that's not really enough evidence to support this, but I think the idea of Hiei being claustrophobic is cute! ( In some weird, sick-and-twisted way. ) Please don't yell at me about it; once again, it's my story, and I'll put in whatever I want.

x. I _really _hate the last scene... I tried to fix it several times, but it always came out the same. I truly apologize for it!

x. I'll try and get the next chapter up in five days, if not much sooner. It will probably be longer, so it _may _take a bit longer to write. Sorry!

**x. Hint: **If you still haven't figured out what Hiei is... "He's suddenly become weak due to lack of (blank)." (blank: rhymes with 'mud' or 'flood'.)


	4. Estatris

**Death Dimension**

**Disclaimer:** **Yu Yu Hakusho belongs to Yoshihiro Togashi, Shonen Jump, FUNimation, etc. However, I _do _own Taikyo, Kathryn and Darryl Verne, the plot, the Shattered Sword Inn, and the alternate universe.**

**Warnings: This story contains _mild shonen ai_. If anyone has a problem with that, don't tell me. I don't care. Also, there will be _a lot _of OOC-ness this chapter, due to certain events that take place.**

**Hint Answer: **The answer to last chapter's hint is used countless times in this post. If you can't figure it out, I'm_ very _worried you.

**---**

I hope you won't mind that there are a few OC's in here. Don't worry, though; they're not major characters that will be continuous throughout the story. They'll probably only be around for the time that the Tantei are in their village. ( **Furthermore, there** **will not be any romantic relationships between any original characters and the Tantei. They will not have major roles, unless you count being an innkeeper or tailor a plot-changing profession.** They are side characters that are there mostly because I needed someone to run the shops, etc., and partly because I didn't feel like cheating and using characters from other anime. )

Anybody who complains about the preceding notice or the characters that follow will be very, very sorry.

**-----**

**Chapter Four: Estatris**

**

* * *

**

_Chuckling quietly, the kitsune motioned for Kuwabara to lift Yusuke up. The ningen complied, though still seemed apprehensive of the wings. Kurama also stood, holding the apparently comatose Jaganshi to his chest. "We have no time to waste. For all we know, it could take us the rest of the day to find the edge of this forest, if not longer."_

_Yusuke sighed, not really hearing the thief as his eyes closed, the pain from the headache causing him to slowly fall unconscious._

'_**If Koenma doesn't find someway to get us back, I'll... I'll... Damn.'**_

**---**

"C'mon, I'm _sure _that it's this way!"

"The scent of humans resides in the other direction, Kuwabara."

"But I _know _that it's this way! I know it!"

"...That's the path we came from."

"No, it's not!"

Kurama sighed, shaking his head. The argument was circling again, Kuwabara being as stubborn as possible. And, needless to say, this was beginning to annoy the former Youko.

"Listen, Kuwabara..." Kurama said in an exasperated tone. "Your psychic abilities are obviously dysfunctional at the moment. Right now, following scents is our only hope of escaping this place."

The ningen's shoulders slumped as he openly admitted defeat. "Fine, Fox-Boy, you lead."

Shifting Hiei in his arms again, the kitsune began heading towards the south, feeling slightly relieved when he heard Kuwabara following him. Unlike Yusuke, who would immediately take off in the opposite direction, Kuwabara was at least honest in these situations.

Another sigh escaped Kurama as he ducked under a low tree branch. There was no sign of an end to the forest, and they had been walking for three hours, at least.

'_Quite intimidating...'_

**---**

"...Kurama?"

The kitsune suddenly shook his head; he had been in a dazed state for an obvious amount of time, yet he had continued to navigate through the trees without wakening his mind. Surprisingly, they weren't completely off course.

Tentatively, he sniffed the air, his eyes widening as he realized that the scent of humans had grown much stronger. Pausing, he glanced over to Kuwabara. "We're close."

The ningen raised a brow before nodding in agreement. "So, what do we do? Are we just gonna' waltz in there?"

Kurama frowned, thinking this over. "...I'm not sure... We can wait to ask Yusuke-kun once we're-"

However, he was interrupted as the comatose Jaganshi in his arms let out a choking sound, his hands gripping Kurama's shirt tightly as a violent shudder ran through him. Instantly, the kitsune's eyes widened as slight panic seeped into his mind.

He felt Kuwabara peering over his shoulder. "Hey, is the shrimp alright?"

The former thief bit his lip when Hiei whimpered softly, and turned his gaze to the youth. "We need to hurry..."

Kuwabara nodded as Kurama began to run through the forest, slow enough to stay near the ningen. "How much longer, Fox-Boy?"

"We'll be there in an hour, if we keep up this pace." Kurama replied as he pulled the shivering Jaganshi closer to his chest.

**---**

_Why..._

_Why am I so weak all of a sudden...?_

_...Not injured..._

_Any energy I have is still here..._

_...I feel like..._

_...I need something..._

_But what...?_

_...I'm thirsty..._

_**Garnet...**_

_...What do I need...?_

**_Liquid... Ruby..._**

_...so thirsty..._

_**Scarlet rivers...**_

_Red... rivers?_

_Rivers of..._

_**...Crimson...**_

_Rivers of crimson...?_

_**Drink.**_

_Drink what?_

_**...the rivers...**_

_Drink... crimson...?_

_**Yes. Yes, drink the red!**_

_...How-?_

_...Wait..._

_Blood._

_**Drink it! The crimson!**_

_...No...!_

_**...blood...**_

_I can't. I won't._

_**You need blood...**_

_...stop...!_

_**Blood.**_

_NO-!_

_**BLOOD.**_

"_HIEI!"_

The Jaganshi's eyes snapped open to lock gazes with the former Youko, whose own emerald orbs where filled with panic and worry. "K... K'rama...?"

However, before he could say anything else, the kitsune had launched into a barrage of questions. "Are you alright? What happened to you? Do you feel any better than earlier? Did you have another nightmare?"

Hiei blinked before replying. "No, I'm thirsty, no, and... sort of."

"Hiei, how does 'I'm thirsty' tell me what happened to you?" Kurama asked.

The apparition frowned, not knowing why he had chosen those words, before deciding to elaborate. "Hn... In a dream, someone was telling me to drink crimson, and by 'crimson', they meant blood. That's all I know, so don't ask me anything else about it."

Kurama sighed, embracing him for a moment before pulling away. "Do you think that you can walk?"

"Hn. Where to, fox?" Hiei muttered, though he highly doubted that it would matter. It didn't seem like he would be able to stand at the moment, let alone walk. _'I need at least a few minutes... Can't it wait? Damn persistent kitsune...'_

Hiei raised a brow when he saw Kurama smirk. The next thing he knew, the kitsune had pulled him into a sitting position and had turned him to face a rather large village before them, down a sloping field.

The buildings were made of wood and what seemed to be a version of concrete. The wood trim was light brown, along with the window shutters. The shingles that made up the roof where black with age, this being the case with most of the paint in the town as well. Many of the buildings had signs swinging from posts attached above the door, declaring them shops, inns, taverns, or stables. However, a few private homes were nestled between the stores.

People, apparently human, were crowding the cobblestone streets, some alone while others were with family or friends. They all wore basic clothing designs in white, brown, black, and gray. The women had on skirts and blouses, while the men wore pants and loose-fitting shirts.

Hiei couldn't stop the look of shock from covering his visage, and he turned to look up at Kurama, his gaze clearly stating, '_What the hell's happened?'_

"They're obviously not as advanced as the humans from our own world... This will probably prove difficult for Yusuke and Kuwabara to accept..."

"Hn. What about you, fox?" Hiei murmured, more focused on the town before them than Kurama's reply.

"A thief has to adapt to any environment. Besides, many of the towns in the Makai are like this..." Kurama trailed off, his eyes glimmering with amusement at Hiei's subtle fascination.

Pulling his gaze away from the village, the Jaganshi glanced around the edge of the forest, their current location. "Fox, where's the detective and the idiot?"

Kurama chuckled, nodding towards their left. "Yusuke's over there, asleep. As for Kuwabara, he's wandered off, but he said that he'd be back soon."

As if on cue, the orange-haired ningen parted through a cluster of bushes behind them. Quickly, Kurama lifted Hiei off of his lap and onto the ground beside him, trying not to blush as Kuwabara sent them a quizzical stare.

"Yes, Kuwabara?" Kurama asked calmly.

"Erm... Well, I was scouting out the town, and there're a couple places we could stay at..." the ningen replied.

Hiei rolled his eyes slightly, unseen by Kuwabara. He glanced over at the kitsune while resting his arms on his knees. "Hn, are we going or not?"

"Hai. I'll go and wake Yusuke-kun." Kurama replied as he stood, leaving the Jaganshi and Kuwabara to glare at each other as he made his way over to the sleeping detective.

Hiei glowered up at the ningen. "What're you staring at, baka?"

Kuwabara crossed his arms defiantly. "What's up with you and Fox-Boy?"

The apparition raised a brow, simultaneously letting out a low growl. The idiot had no reason to pry into his business, did he? "The hell are you talking about?"

"I saw him practically huggin' you, shrimp. There's gotta be _something _between you two, 'cause you weren't trying to kill him for it." the youth said, not noticing Hiei's growl.

'_So he does have a brain, even if a very small one...' _However, before the Jaganshi could reply with a death threat, Kurama came up with a rather sleepy-looking Yusuke behind him.

"Alright, we should leave now." Kurama announced, going over to Hiei. "Can you walk yet?"

Hiei was slightly thankful for the thief's whispering tone, seeing as Kuwabara's eyes were still lingering over the two. "Hn, yes." He reluctantly accepted the offered hand, and shook himself to rid the dirt from his clothes. Luckily, the ningen's gaze had shifted, so he hadn't seen their actions.

Hiei said nothing as Yusuke took up the lead, the youth seemingly over his 'transformation'. He led the group out of the safety of the trees, straight into the bright sunlight which covered them completely.

The Jaganshi suddenly froze, glancing down at the light which poured over him. Somewhere in his mind, a voice was yelling at him to get back into the shadows immediately.

'_But... Why would I need-?'_

His thoughts were cut off as he felt an instantaneous burning sensation on his skin, followed by a tremendous pain. It spread over his entire being, feeling almost as if he was scorching.

Hiei looked around wildly for some source of attack, only to find nobody but his teammates and the forest behind them. He couldn't sense anyone capable of magic; there was only the sun-!

The pain intensified dramatically, and despite himself, the Jaganshi let out a screech as he fell to his knees. Before his eyes were clenched shut, he was sure that he saw some sort of steam rising up from his skin. The sudden scent of blood filled his senses, and Hiei knew it to be his, which only caused another shriek to escape him.

Up ahead, Yusuke and the others spun around as they heard his cry, Kurama immediately running to the apparition's side, Yusuke close behind. The kitsune literally flung himself down to Hiei, his own eyes wide with terror.

_**...Crimson...**_

_**...Blood...**_

Before the apparition knew what he was doing, he had lifted his wrists to his mouth, subconsciously noting that his demonic fangs had become much longer as he dug them into his veins. The garnet liquid spilled from the wounds, cascading down his arms as he licked at it hungrily. His shrieks became louder as the burning reached an unbearable level.

His arm was wrenched away as Kurama's panicked voice reached his ears. "Hiei, stop! What're you doing?"

Yusuke watched on in horror and shock as the Jaganshi continued to scream and attempted to bite himself, while Kurama tried to hold him back. However, something suddenly clicked in his mind, and he dove into the fray.

"_Kurama, move!_" the detective yelled, pushing past the kitsune, who lept away. The apparition's crimson eyes were filled with emotion, so unlike the usual ice-cold expression; confusion, pain, and obvious fear. Scorch marks covered him, more appearing every minute. Blood was dripping out of the burns, which Hiei was valiantly trying to lick.

Yusuke bit his lip as he hurriedly pulled the Jaganshi into the shadow on his lap, covering him from the sun's rays. Hiei whimpered, his struggling ceasing, though that didn't dull the detective's worry at all.

The youth glanced back at his other two companions. "We need to get him inside. Anywhere will do."

"Yusuke, what's-?" Kurama started, his voice shaking noticeably, but Yusuke interrupted him.

"There's no time to explain, Fox-Boy! Let's go!" he shouted as he took off for the village, thankful to hear Kuwabara and Kurama behind him.

Yusuke dashed down the sloping hill, his wings spreading behind him without his consent. Fortunately, though, they blocked some of the sunlight from reaching Hiei.

The detective wasn't aware of the blood that soon covered his shirt as he reached the crowded streets. His eyes scanned the buildings, settling on the closest one that read _'The Shattered Sword Inn' _on the sign. However, after less than a minute of being in the drove, he realized that no path was going to be formed to let them through.

Yusuke winced as someone elbowed him in the ribs, resulting in him kicking them right back. As the person spun around to confront the offense, the Tantei had already disappeared.

A small sigh of relief escaped him as they reached the targeted building, and Yusuke shoved open the wooden door to reveal a shadowed lobby area, complete with a small restaurant and bar. Across from the entrance was the apparent registration desk, which the group strode over to.

They came to a stop in front of it, and Yusuke took up his role as the leader. He shifted Hiei in his arms, earning a whimper from the apparition. Yusuke tried to ignore it as he spoke up. "W-We need a room."

The chestnut-haired woman didn't look up from the long roll of parchment that she was reading. The curly strands hid her eyes from view, so the Tantei didn't know if she was looking up, or not. "'You got money?"

'_Money! Oh, great... This is just like some stupid fantasy role-playing game at the arcade... Always treating the new players badly... We'll just have to cheat, then.' _The detective bit his lip before nodding. "...Yeah."

"Let me see it." the innkeeper replied gruffly.

A small leather pouch suddenly landed on the desk in front of her as Kurama spoke up from the youth's right side, sounding slightly frustrated. "There. Please, we have to get to a room immediately, as one of us needs medical attention."

Yusuke's eyes widened and he turned to stare at the kitsune, who gave him a look that clearly stated, _"What, you think I'm a thief for nothing?"_

The woman lowered the parchment and grabbed the bag, reaching in to examine whatever was inside of it. Finally, her brown eyes wandered up to them. She didn't seem to be at all fazed by the blood-covered Jaganshi, instead sighing in exasperation. "You're truly an idiot if you think that you can take a va-"

Yusuke interrupted her. "Look, we know. Just get us to the damn room!"

The woman paused in thought before sighing again. "Fine. Just follow me."

The Tantei simultaneously nodded, Kuwabara mumbling something about "pushy old women", even though the innkeeper seemed to only be in her late twenties.

She led them into a hallway on their right after grabbing a small key from the board behind her. Kurama went into a tense state-of-mind, keeping next to Yusuke so that he was by Hiei, while Kuwabara brought up the rear.

"Anyway, I'm Kathryn Verne. My husband Darryl and I run the inn, along with a ranch on the outskirts of the town. This building has three floors: the one above us, the ground-level, and the tavern down below."

Yusuke raised a brow at the word 'tavern', noticing that Kuwabara's eyes also lit up. However, he pushed back his burning questions about the drinks they served for later. "Anything else we should know?"

Kathryn stopped in front of a polished oak door with the brass number thirteen on it. "Well, well... unlucky thirteen... Ah, yes. This is a high-class place we're running, and I don't want _your _kind messing it up. If you've got any... _unpreventable... _problems, you take it outside; or, better yet, get out of town until it's through."

Kurama stiffened. Was he imagining it, or had she looked at _him_ as she had said that...? _'No, she wasn't. Why would she have a reason to...?'_

Not noticing the kitsune's quizzical stare, the innkeeper pushed the door open after unlocking it and motioned for them to get in before she changed her mind. "Before I forget, there's a first aid box in one of the drawers. If you need anything else, I'll be at the front desk. And if I'm not there, then I'm in the middle of _private _business that _no one _needs to interrupt."

The detective's right eye twitched - he had understood the subtle hint, and wasn't enjoying the mental images - as he entered the rather large room. It had three twin-sized beds in it which had dressers next to each, along with a small table in the corner. Across from the door was a glass floor-to-ceiling window, which coupled as an entrance to a balcony.

Kuwabara let out a low whistle as Kathryn shut the door behind them after handing Kurama the key. "Nice place."

The former Youko didn't take the time to admire the décor, instead striding over to the nearest dresser and pulling it open to reveal a wooden version of the familiar white box. "Yusuke, set Hiei down here. I'll take care of the injuries..."

The youth complied, gently placing the apparently comatose Jaganshi on the sheets. Kurama immediately set to work while Yusuke grabbed a chair from the table. He placed it next to the bed as Kuwabara collapsed onto another, soon falling asleep.

After a while of silence, the kitsune spoke up in a whispered tone. "There's time now to explain. What's wrong with my koi?"

The former human bit his lip. It wasn't the fact that Hiei and Kurama were lovers that startled him - as he had known for quite a while and had grown used to it - but he didn't want to worry him any more than he already was.

Kurama's gaze narrowed. "Tell me. I of all people deserve to know."

Yusuke sighed, giving in. "...Alright... You've heard of vampires, right...?"

"Hai, but I'm not too familiar with them..." the thief replied slowly.

"Then here's a short review." Yusuke said, resting his head and arms on the back of the chair as he watched his friend bandage Hiei's wrists tightly. "As most books and movies say, a vampire is an animated corpse that survives by drinking the blood of the living, and is considered to be a source of great evil. I don't really like the whole corpse part myself, but hey, I'm not the professional here.

"They don't age or die, really, being immortal and all. However, a couple of things can harm one, like Holy Water, a Crucifix - or anything religious for that matter, stakes, silver, and... sunlight."

Kurama's eyes went wide and he made to interrupt, but Yusuke continued. "Let me finish. Along with being immortal, a vampire has amazing strength, shape-shifting abilities, telekinetic and hypnotic powers, and isn't affected by human weapons, though there're a few exceptions. Also, they can heal automatically or by feeding.

"Speaking of that, back to the whole blood deal. Without drinking fresh blood roughly every day, a vampire will truly die. If they don't for a long period of time, they'll fall into a state of hibernation where they don't move, only sleeping and remaining in the dark until they return to Hell, or wherever. Though, when the vampire's feeding... If the victim isn't killed, they'll become a vampire in two to seven days. No one really knows first-hand."

Before he could say anything else, Kurama spoke up in a shaking voice. "Y-Yusuke, that c-can't be... Hiei _can't _be a v-vampire..."

The detective raised a brow. "Really? There's actually a bunch of ways to tell... First of all, he was burned by the sunlight, and was trying to kill himself by drinking his own blood. Second, have you ever seen any _living _person so pale? No, didn't think so."

While Yusuke continued to list off the evidence, the kitsune's eyes began to water as he stared at the Jaganshi forlornly. _'This isn't real... It can't be real... No, this whole thing is a dream... Just a dream...!' _

"And finally..." Yusuke announced, reaching over to Hiei and prying his mouth open slightly, revealing the elongated fangs. "Explain those."

**---**

Yusuke sighed as he leaned against the railing of the balcony. Kurama had fallen asleep almost an hour ago after the detective had finally convinced him about what Hiei had become. Kuwabara was still snoring loudly on his own bed, and didn't seem like he was going to be waking up any time soon.

A sudden knock at the door caused Yusuke to jump, his wings flaring out behind him. He growling in irritation; it would take _quite _a while to get used to them.

Letting out another sigh, the youth headed back inside and over to the door, which he opened to see Kathryn. A groan escaped him when he saw the stack of parchment in her hands, but he greeted her anyway. "Hey, what's up, Kat'?"

The woman's eyes narrowed. "Call me that again, and Darryl will have your head. I'll have you know that he has little tolerance for other men near me, so you best watch yourself."

A lop-sided grin covered Yusuke's visage as he let her in. "I'll remember that. So, what can I do for you?"

Kathryn sat down on the vacant chair as the detective leaned against the wall. "I never caught your names."

Yusuke frowned, suspicion in his eyes, but complied anyway. "Alright, then... I'm Yusuke, the oaf on that bed over there is Kuwabara, the red-head is Kurama, and the vamp' is Hiei."

She jotted it down on the scroll with the quill at her side. "Keep him under control. If he gets out of hand, then I'll have to call the authorities. It's one of our policies to deal with non-human creatures."

Yusuke nodded in understanding, knowing that she was referring to Hiei. However, before he could say anything else to assure her that it would be taken care of, Kathryn spoke again. "...You're not from this world, are you?"

The detective's eyes widened, and he instinctively lowered into a fighting stance. "What makes you think that?"

"Now, now... No need to fight. Trust me, it would be over soon, and I'd be the one lying on the ground." the woman chuckled. "It's obvious. No normal dark angel would enter the Shade Realm unless they were forced to, because humans _hunt _them, idiot. (Do you know how many people saw you today? There'll be a bounty on you soon.) Vampires only leave the Shadow Realm to feed. Also, _any _vampire is smart enough to not venture out into the sunlight! Even a human child knows that! And, on top of that-!"

She cut herself off when she saw the youth's blank look. "...You're not following me, are you...?"

Slowly, Yusuke shook his head. "No... I kind of lost you around the 'Shade Realm'."

"I knew it... Typical male." Kathryn said, sighing. "Alright... Where should I start...?"

"Try, 'where are we?'. That could help." Yusuke replied, sweat-dropping.

A surprised look appeared on Kathryn's visage, obviously saying, _'You don't even know **that?**' _However, she responded with the simplest answer possible.

"Well, we're in Estatris."

Another groan came from Yusuke as he looked up at the ceiling, already feeling a migraine forming.

**

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**A/N**

x. Once again, I apologize for the delay. I didn't intend for the mentioned events in real life to happen.

x. Those of you who are planning to complain about the innkeeper, please see the note at the beginning of the chapter. ( She has a _husband_. Isn't that proof enough? )

x. If you can't visualize the town, just imagine your average RPG village.

x. I know that Hiei's out-of-character. I'm sorry, but I'm trying as best I can.

x. That last few scenes were done in a rush to get this out. Sorry for the lack of quality. ( But hey, the entire chapter is 4,533 words and fourteen pages. Give me _some _credit! )

x. If you don't understand anything, don't panic. There's a long, lengthy explanation for everything in the next chapter. ( Okay, so maybe you _should _panic... )

_x. koi_: the shortened version of the Japanese word _koibito_, which translates to 'lover' or 'mate'.

x. All vampire information is from w w w dot vampires dot monstrous dot com.

x. "Estatris": _pronunciation: ES-ta-tress_; the world located in the dimension that the Tantei have been sent to.

**x. Hint: **A clue for what Kurama is was mentioned in the chapter. It's _kind of _subtle, though some of my friends figured it out right away. n.n; Whoops.


	5. A Cupful of Blood Helps the Pain Go Down

**Death Dimension**

**Disclaimer:** **Yu Yu Hakusho belongs to Yoshihiro Togashi, Shonen Jump, FUNimation, etc. However, I _do _own Taikyo, Kathryn and Darryl Verne, the plot, the Shattered Sword Inn, and the alternate universe.**

**Warnings: This story contains _mild shonen ai_. If anyone has a problem with that, don't tell me. I don't care. Also, the story uses the traditional vampire theme, instead of the new "modern" one. Don't complain about it to me.**

**Regarding the chapter title... **If you've seen _'Mary Poppins'_, you'll know doubt remember the phrase _"A spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down"_. Change a few words here and there, and that should explain a few things.

**-----**

**Chapter Five: A Cupful of Blood Helps the Pain Go Down**

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"_Now, now... No need to fight. Trust me, it would be over soon, and I'd be the one lying on the ground." the woman chuckled. "It's obvious. No normal dark angel would enter the Shade Realm unless they were forced to, because humans hunt them, idiot. (Do you know how many people saw you today? There'll be a bounty on you soon.) Vampires only leave the Shadow Realm to feed. Also, any vampire is smart enough to not venture out into the sunlight! Even a human child knows that! And, on top of that-!"_

_She cut herself off when she saw the youth's blank look. "...You're not following me, are you...?"_

_Slowly, Yusuke shook his head. "No... I kind of lost you around the 'Shade Realm'."_

"_I knew it... Typical male." Kathryn said, sighing. "Alright... Where should I start...?"_

"_Try, 'where are we?'. That could help." Yusuke replied, sweat-dropping._

_A surprised look appeared on Kathryn's visage, obviously saying, 'You don't even know **that**?' However, she responded with the simplest answer possible._

"_Well, we're in Estatris."_

_Another groan came from Yusuke as he looked up at the ceiling, already feeling a migraine forming._

**---**

Kathryn giggled softly before looking up at the ceiling as if it would give her an idea. "Now... Let's see... Estatris has four realms: the Pure, Shadow, Shade, and Sea. Different creatures reside in each, like-."

Yusuke interrupted. "What kind of creatures?"

"I'm getting to that. The Pure Realm generally contains 'good' beings, while the Shadow is the opposite. You could say that the Shade and Sea ones are the neutral creatures." the innkeeper explained, flicking through a few pieces of parchment.

The detective raised a brow in curiosity. "What Realm are we in now?"

"The Shade one. Some of the creatures to watch out for are werewolves, faeries, harpies, griffins, roc, centaurs, and an occasional vampire or two." Kathryn replied, her gaze flickering to Hiei and narrowing. "...Humans openly despise the last..."

Yusuke's fists clenched slightly at her last comment, but he pushed his anger away. "...Er, what about the Pure and Shadow Realms?"

"The Pure holds light angels, phoenixes, faeries, unicorns, roc, and elves." she said. "As for the Shadow Realm, no one knows exactly what resides in there, as humans never return from it after entering. However, we do know that there are two similar and deadly creatures in existence, one in the Shade and one in the Shadow. People are saying that it's unlike anything else, and just looking it in the eye could kill you."

The youth leaned forward in interest, though was disappointed when Kathryn stopped. "...Has anyone lived to-?"

Kathryn shook her head. "No. And before you ask, that's all I know about this supposed 'monster'. Now, though..." She leaned forward, her gaze suspicious and curious. "...Tell me how and why _you _are here..."

Yusuke gulped. He wasn't sure what he should say, how much to tell her...

'_This is an alternate dimension, Yusuke. There's no Reikai or Makai anymore... There's no way she'd be able to use the information as it is...'_

The detective sighed, crossing his arms before explaining. "Alright... We're from another universe... Hiei and Kurama were demons, Kuwabara was human, and I was half-and-half. We worked for the ruler of the Spirit World, or the lord of the afterlife; however you want to put it. We caught rogue demons that had escaped from the Spirit World prison or into the Human World from their own.

"Anyway, we were fighting one of them a few days ago; Taikyo was his name. He somehow could open portals, and during the fight, he... well... yeah." Yusuke finished, his eyes closed in thought.

Kathryn nodded, having tried her best to understand. "So... You need a way back home?"

"You think?" Yusuke remarked, rolling his eyes. "Do you know how?"

The woman paused before speaking. "...I'm not sure, but there might be someone who could help you in the Pure Realm... If it weren't for the barrier between the Shade Realm and that one, you'd be able to get there in a few days. However, because there is... You'll have to travel through the Shadow one."

Yusuke shook his head, skeptical. "But you're not sure... This guess could be completely wrong... If what you said was true, we'd end up dead sooner or later."

Kathryn shrugged, suddenly standing. "And it'll be sooner if you stay in our Realm. With an inexperienced, moronic vampire who probably doesn't even know how to feed, and an angel that can't fly, your mismatched group won't last long."

A soft growl escaped the detective as he also stood, fighting to keep his temper under control. "What do you think we should do, then?"

"Head to Indarcis, which is about a two day walk east from here, Escea. From there, go to Laurivias, a small, run-down village that borders the Shadow Realm. After that, you're on your own." Kathryn replied as she put the chair back, striding over to the door after.

Yusuke followed her, pulling it open quickly. "Thanks for the 'lesson'."

"You're welcome." Kathryn shrugged as she stepped out, though she cast one last glance to the comatose Jaganshi on the bed. "...You can purchase blood in the tavern down below... It would help him."

Yusuke looked back to Hiei, worry instantly filling his gaze as his anger subsided for a second. "...Alright..."

With that said, the innkeeper left the doorway, muttering to herself about 'stupid bloodsuckers'. Yusuke sighed, leaving as well after a few moments.

'_Koenma... You really need to get us back...'_

**---**

A rather loud groan escaped the Jaganshi as he heard someone calling his name faintly. He was laying on something incredibly soft, warmth surrounding him on all sides. For a moment, he wondered were he was, his eyes quickly fluttering open.

A choke of surprise came from him as he bolted upright, not recognizing the beige walls. Hiei gasped softly as a spasm of pain ran through him, and he fell back onto the bed he was in.

"Whoa, Hiei! Watch it. You're still hurt..."

The Jaganshi hesitantly opened one crimson eye, peering up at the person who had spoken, finding it to be Yusuke. He made to reply, only to realize that his throat was parched.

Yusuke looked at him in concern. "Hey, do you think that you can sit up for a moment? I've got something that could help."

Hiei nodded slightly, not having the energy to argue, or to object when the detective wrapped an arm around his small frame to help him. Instinctively, Hiei glanced down at his body, his eyes widening when he saw the blistering scorch marks that covered him. His gaze wandered up to Yusuke, demanding answers.

The youth sighed. "In short... Hiei, you're a vampire... The sunlight burnt you."

The Jaganshi froze, but Yusuke continued before he could say anything. "Kurama can give you more of an explanation later. For now, you need to drink this." he said, reaching for a rather large cup that was on the dresser.

Hiei looked at the garnet liquid inside of it, sniffing the air experimentally. Immediately recognizing the metallic scent, he flinched in repulsion.

"That's... blood." he murmured softly, shaking his head to the side. "I'm not drinking that, Yusuke..."

The detective frowned. "You'll have to eventually. Otherwise, you'll die completely, Hiei..."

"No." the Jaganshi spat out, glaring. He attempted to growl, only to have it come out stuttering. Yusuke returned the glare with one of his own, his grip on Hiei tightening as the former demon made a move to get away.

A sudden yelp escaped Hiei as he put pressure on his injured wrists. Yusuke took this opportunity to press the glass to Hiei's lips, tilting it upwards so that the crimson trickled into his mouth. The Jaganshi's struggling immediately ceased; his eyes went wide as unmistakable lust filled them. He weakly took a hold of the glass, greedily lapping up the blood.

Yusuke sighed in relief as he released the cup, which Hiei pulled closer to himself. The detective couldn't help but laugh as the apparition fell backwards onto the mattress, still licking at the garnet liquid.

"It's almost like alcohol to him now... Wonderful." Yusuke muttered to himself as he stood. Hiei's wounds were healing rapidly with the blood intake, as predicted. "I'm going to be leaving for a bit, alright? Just stay here and rest..."

The former demon merely nodded and Yusuke chuckled again. After giving his friend one last glance, he headed towards the large glass doors, which he pulled open. He stepped out onto the balcony, closing the door behind him as he took in a deep breath.

"Alright, Kat'... Let's see if I'm really a damned angel that can't fly..."

**---**

A long sigh escaped the Jaganshi as he stared up at the ceiling. Had anyone else in the room been conscious, he wouldn't have been in the vulnerable position he was in now, nor would he have let his icy demeanor fall for the few minutes he had to himself.

Hiei's eyes fluttered closed for a second, not caring that he was acting submissive at the moment, with his throat and stomach exposed for attack. The glass was set on the dresser, now devoid of all traces of crimson. The apparition opened one eye to glance at it, mentally thanking Yusuke for the blood.

The Jaganshi bit his lip, wincing as the vampiric fangs dug into the soft flesh. He quickly retracted them, unconsciously licking up the small amount of garnet liquid that appeared. His gaze once again returned to the plain ceiling as his mind mulled over the recent events.

They were in another dimension, he knew that, along with everything the onna had said to Yusuke. ( After all, he had only been partially unconscious at the time. ) Speaking of the detective, he had somehow transformed into a dark angel... Simple enough. The former demon had heard thousands of myths concerning them while in the Makai, along with many about...

...Vampires.

A soft, almost undetectable moan escaped him as he closed his eyes again. He didn't require Yusuke to tell him of what he had become. He had known the moment that the hunger for blood had begun...

Hiei gritted his teeth together in annoyance. This new 'transformation', so to speak, had taken a lot out of him, both figuratively and literally. The weaknesses of a vampire had obviously affected him, and judging by how he felt at the moment, it would still take a few days to recover from the initial shock. However, none of that would amount to the result of losing his demon heritage.

The Jaganshi let out another long sigh as he sank lower into the mattress, his gaze distant. As soon as he had awoken after death, the Kokoryuuha had... had left. Hiei no longer possessed it. It had been ashamed of being a part of him, of what he had become...

The apparition shut his eyes tightly. Secretly, he felt so weak and powerless with out his infamous destructive attack. All the time and effort he had put into making that beast obey him was now for nothing...

His Koorime blood was gone. He didn't think he'd miss that half of him, but he did. That was the half of him binding him to his sister, the fragile ice maiden... The only thing.

The Jaganshi glanced out the window at the cloudy sky, the weather only causing him to feel even more depressed. She was in an entirely different world...

Here, he didn't have a sister.

Here, Yukina didn't exist.

Here, _he _shouldn't even exist...

"Hiei?"

Immediately, the former demon lept up from his submissive position and into an alert and defensive one, the cold mask slipping back into place. His gaze swept over the room only to lock with a sleepy emerald one.

"Hn... What, fox?"

Kurama stood from his own bed and stumbled over to the one Hiei was in, rubbing one of his eyes. "How did you sleep?"

The Jaganshi clenched his eyes shut. '_Why do you have to act like we're back in the Ningenkai, Kurama? We're not. Don't even think about-!'_

The kitsune sat down beside him, suddenly wrapping his arms around the kyuuketsuki's small frame as he pulled him close. "...I missed sleeping beside you last night..."

'_-...doing anything like that. Shit.' _

Hiei let out a growl of warning, attempting to pry away Kurama's arms. "...Fox... I don't want this right now. I'm not in the m-."

However, before he could finish, the former Youko began to place feather-light kisses along his shoulders, working his way towards Hiei's neck. The Jaganshi snarled deeply as Kurama reached his face, causing him to unconsciously bare his fangs.

Luckily, Hiei was saved as a rustling noise came from the balcony, which caused Kurama to spring away from him. A second later, the black-haired detective came in, covered in scratches and bruises. Several twigs and leaves clung to him, through Yusuke seemed not to acknowledge the plant life.

Kurama bit his lip as Hiei edged away from him, though his attention was on the kuro no tenshi at the moment. "What were you doing, Yusuke?"

The former human grinned cockily. "Flying. Anyway, we've got a bunch of stuff to do today!" Noticing his teammates' confused expressions, he decided to elaborate. "We need to shop."

Hiei stared at him, undeniably disgusted with the idea. "Listen, Detective, if this is some kind of pathetic attempt at a joke-."

Yusuke shook his head, replying while striding over to where Kuwabara was sleeping. "If we're going to find a way to get back, we'll need supplies. Do you really think that we'll be able to survive without anything? Honestly, don't you ever play any video games?"

Hiei's gaze narrowed while Kurama nodded in agreement. "I don't have time for games."

The detective sweat-dropped before roughly shaking his orange-haired friend. "Oi', Sleeping Beauty! Get up!"

Instantly, Kuwabara lept into the air with a shriek, quickly rounding on Yusuke. "Urameshi, what's the big idea! Can't a guy even get some s-!"

The angel held up a hand to stop him. "We're going out to buy some thing for this next big-ass adventure."

Kuwabara frowned before shrugging. "Whatever. Are we leaving right now?"

Yusuke nodded as he made his way to the door. "Just grab anything you think you'll need. Make sure you have your cloak on, Three-Eyes. The last thing we need is fried 'Jaganshi-On-A-Stick.'"

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**A/N**

**Taisuke Harakiri: **Thanks so much for the review! I know, the interpretation is kind of weird, but then again, my parents won't allow me to read the Vampire Chronicles... ;-; I'm 'too young' for them, and the whole family is very religious, so... That should explain that. Besides, this is more of a... ah, how do you put it...? ...A "past" fantasy story. I needed some of the weaknesses and such from the Dracula-type vampires, seeing as not much can kill Anne Rice's vampires, from what I've heard. n.n; Sorry!

x. I know that the whole description of Estatris was completely confusing, but before you email me or a leave a review asking questions about it, _please _try and read it over.

x. Most of the supernatural creatures listed in this chapter won't appear. Sorry; I don't think I'd be able to fit in Yusuke flying with a giant, peace-loving bird Or a roc, if you will.

x. "Indarcis": _pronunciation: in-DAR-sis_; the 'cross-road' town of Estatris being in the very center of the land and directly between the three main Realms where other creatures besides humans live. Here, you'd probably encounter everything from an elf to a vampire, or anything that's in-between. It is also a main importing village, though not as large as the main city.

x. "Escea": _pronunciation: ES-see-uh_; one of the major towns, also a port town. Not many other beings other than humans reside in it, though you might see an occasional traveler. Escea also borders a dangerous forest that creates the boundaries of the three main Realms, that forest being the one that the Tantei awoke in.

x. "Laurivias": _pronunciation: LORE-i-vee-us_; a run-down village that borders the Shadow Realm, protected only by a thin mile-long stretch of trees. It is constantly attacked by non-human beings, and is anything but safe. However, it provides the only clear passage into the Shadow Realm, which is why the Tantei must travel that way.

x. If you're in need of a description of any of the creatures mentioned during the run-down of Estatris, please visit w w w dot monstrous dot com. ( Seeing as that's where I've gotten all of my information... )

x. "..._The kitsune sat down beside him, suddenly wrapping his arms around the kyuuketsuki's small frame as he pulled him close. "...I missed sleeping beside you last night..." ..._" - I honestly don't know why Kurama was acting that way. Personally, I think it might have been him coping with what had happened to his lover, or trying to comfort Hiei by showing him that he still loved him... I don't think the comforting part worked.

**x. Hint: **The "two similar and deadly creatures" that Kathryn mentions during the explanation will play a big part in future chapters, and will affect one of the Tantei's members _greatly_.


	6. Of Silverware and a Wish

**Death Dimension**

**Disclaimer:** **Yu Yu Hakusho belongs to Yoshihiro Togashi, Shonen Jump, FUNimation, etc. However, I _do _own Taikyo, Kathryn and Darryl Verne, the plot, the Shattered Sword Inn, and the alternate universe.**

**Warnings: This story contains _mild shonen ai_. If anyone has a problem with that, don't tell me. I don't care. Also, the story uses the traditional vampire theme, instead of the new "modern" one. Don't complain about it to me.**

**-----**

**Chapter Six: Of Silverware and a Wish**

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A soft sigh escaped Kuwabara as he and the other Tantei entered the dimly lit shop. It was across the cobblestone street from the inn they were staying at, and the sign hanging above the door proclaimed that it was a tailor's store.

'_Great. Just what I need: trying on clothes...' _he thought wryly as the wooden door closed behind him. As always, he had ended up at the back of the group.

The shopkeeper by the counter looked up as they approached, his eyes widening when he caught sight of the dark glistening wings behind Yusuke. However, one quick glare from the detective silenced any comments that he had intended to say.

"H-How can I help you, sirs?" the man asked timidly, gulping as he caught sight of Hiei. Kuwabara glanced at the Jaganshi as well, his eyes widening when he noticed that Hiei's crimson orbs were glowing brightly in the shadows of the store.

'_Nice discovery, Sherlock. Urameshi only **just **said something about the shrimp being a vampire on the way here...' _The ningen snorted under his breath as Yusuke began to talk.

"Actually... We're wondering if you have anything made for travelers like us... We're planning on heading into the Shadow Realm once we leave here, so we'll need to be prepared. What we have at the moment won't do us much good." the former human replied smoothly, his acting skills actually surprising his companions.

The man nodded quickly, though he tried to look calm. "Y-Yes, as a matter of fact, we do. T-They're over on the back wall... H-However, t-they're all quite e-expensive..."

Yusuke glared at him darkly, causing the human to quickly restate his phrase. "I-I mean, everything i-is half-price off f-for you, my g-good sir!"

"That's what I thought." the tenshi called over his shoulder as he strode over towards the indicated wall. Sure enough, dozens of outfits and cloaks were on display, all made of fine battle-worthy leather and other strong materials.

Kuwabara hung back a bit as the other Tantei members set to work on trying to force Hiei into trying on the many thick cloaks that were there, trying to find one that 'suited him.' Kuwabara, however, decided to browse for himself.

A soft sigh escaped the ningen as he strolled past the various shelves, not really gazing at the clothing. Instead, he turned to his own troubling thoughts.

The rest of the detectives were accepting this dimensional change without a care in the world; Yusuke seemed rather _happy _about it, almost... Sure, Kurama was distraught, and Hiei had been terribly hurt, but never once did they act like they hated it. To them, it seemed to be only a change in scenery, nothing more than a trip to the Makai...

...To Kuwabara, it wasn't.

Rarely had he ever left the Ningenkai or Reikai, only having traveled to the Demon World a few times before. This wasn't just a 'change of scenery' for him. This new realm was completely different than what he was accustomed to, and it looked like it was something out of a video game. ( Not that he had played many role-playing games, as he was more into fighting and chance. ) He knew next to nothing that could help them, whether it be about monsters, or just outright knowledge.

'_...I just wish... that there could be **one **time where **I** was the hero... Just once... Where I could save them, instead of getting my arse kicked while they rescue **me**...' _

"Oi, Kuwabara! You better find something quick, or we'll leave without you!" Yusuke called suddenly, breaking through the human's thoughts. Kuwabara sighed, turning around and making his way back to his friends, quickly grabbing the first few things that looked remotely appealing.

Little did he know, as they paid and left the shop, Kuwabara would get his wish...

**---**

"Alright, where to next?" the kitsune asked as they made their way back in to the throng of people, his tone a bit more satisfied than before. Needless to say, the fact that he had bought a tunic similar to the one that his youko side had worn raised his spirits slightly. The only difference was that it was ebony-colored, and was a bit more intricate in style.

Yusuke paused before replying to Kurama's question. "Hm... Well, we can't really use our reiki or youki, right?"

Kuwabara nodded. "Yeah. I tried summoning my Sword earlier, but nothing happened."

"It could just be you, baka." Hiei scoffed, his shining eyes peering out from under the hood of his new cloak.

The kitsune intervened before a fight could start, having not the energy to deal with it. "To the weaponry it is, then..."

Yusuke lead the way through the rough crowd, his wings now hidden by a cloak of his own. This time, however, the people parted quickly, somehow sensing the dark auras milling about Hiei and the tenshi. Nevertheless, it was still a slight struggle to get through the narrow path created.

Eventually, they reached the store, which had been _only_ five doors down. Yusuke shoved the heavy door open, letting the rest of the team slip in after him. It was a bit lighter than the tailor's shop, having been lit with many more lamps. After a few moments of looking around at the various weapons that lined the walls and shelves, they made their way over to the counter.

The salesclerk, this time, was a rather aged man with a thick, bushy beard. He had a battle-scorn face, and as he looked up at the new customers, he revealed his wise grey eyes. However, deep suspicion could be seen in the silver-shaded orbs; obviously, he wasn't too trusting of people.

Yusuke wasn't daunted by his appearance, instead letting his act fall back into place. "We're looking for a few things that would aid us in our journey through the Shadow Realm..."

The man paused, surveying the youth in front of him before nodding. "Aye... What kind of weapon do ye have in mind?"

The tenshi glanced back at the other Tantei before continuing. "I'll let them tell you for themselves... For me, though, I'm looking for any kind of gun..."

"Hm..." the man said, frowning. "I'm afraid that we don't carry those here... But if you travel to Indarcis, you'll probably find one there. With all the strange creatures they get, they'll need somethin' like that."

Yusuke nodded before moving aside as Kurama stepped forward. "A whip, sir, if you have one..."

A lopsided grin appeared on the elder's face as he hobbled out from behind the counter. "Aye, do we _have _one...! Only the finest, lad!"

He led the kitsune to a wardrobe-like cabinet on the right side of the shop, pulling out a small ring of keys from inside of his pocket. After sorting through a few of them, he found the desired one, and used it to unlock the door.

Kurama's eyes widened slightly as the man pulled out a long, thick leather whip that had been coiled tightly. The length of it glistened with the flames from the lamps, indicating that there was some sort of coating on it.

The man noticed the fox's curious stare, and chose to answer the unvoiced question. "The fine craftsman had metal worked into it. From what he told me, it's steel."

Kurama nodded in approval, quickly giving him the amount of gold required before taking the weapon from him. He made to speak again, but was cut off as Kuwabara pushed him aside.

"Gimme a broadsword, old man! I already know how to use one-!"

However, he was interrupted as Yusuke suddenly fell into hysterics at Hiei's comment of, _"He should be buying a club, not a sword."_

**---**

"Alright, that's everything..." Yusuke announced as he stuffed a few dozen slips of thin paper into the leather carrying bag they had purchased. "...Bandages, astringent, and Holy wards..."

Kuwabara frowned. "'Holy wards'? Why'd we need those?"

The tenshi replied as he swung the bag over his shoulder, wincing slightly as it collided with his wing. "...In case Hiei falls into a bloodlust. We'll have to have a way of controlling him..."

Ignoring the threatening growl that sounded from the former youkai, Yusuke began to lead the Tantei back towards the inn. Yet they had gone no more than a few yards when a man rushed up to them.

Instantly, the detective's eyes narrowed in suspicion, on alert due to the subtle hostile look in the stranger's eyes. He had neck-length straight black hair and slanted, steel-gray eyes. His build was lean, and he seemed to be around six-feet in height. His attire consisted of loose-fitting pants and a sleeveless shirt, both of which were in a gray color scheme.

"Good afternoon... You're Yusuke, correct?" He seemed to be trying his best to sound polite, though he wasn't succeeding.

The tenshi tensed slightly, unnerved that this man knew his name. _'But wait... Didn't Kat' say something about a bounty for me...? What if they put up fliers here, just like in Western movies? What if this guy's going to try and kill me? What if-?'_

However, his mental ranting was interrupted by Kurama nudging him in the ribs, muttering something about replying to the stranger. Yusuke sighed before complying. "...Yeah, I am. And who the hell are you?"

The man shot a small glare at him. "Darryl Verne. I'm Kathryn's husband..."

The detective's eyes widened in surprise, though he felt himself relax. If Kathryn knew him - and _really _knew him; as in, _all_ of him - then he could be trusted, right? "Oh... Well, do you need something?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact. My _dearest _wife-" (He rolled his eyes here.) "-insisted on me showing your little posse where I work. Don't ask me why... Women are confusing creatures." Darryl responded, his tone implying that he really didn't want to be doing this.

Yusuke chuckled quietly at his latter comment. "At least we have something in common..."

**---**

"Oh! Mr. Verne, you're back early!"

Kurama raised a brow as the boy, who seemed to be around the age of his own brother, exchanged a few words with Darryl. It turned out that the man worked as a blacksmith, and the youth was his apprentice.

The kitsune's gaze wandered away from the two humans and over to Hiei, who was standing beside Yusuke in an almost obedient manner. Kurama bit his lip slightly, subconsciously upset with the sight.

'_First he pushes me away last night, and now he's practically **clinging** to Yusuke... Could there be...?'_

The fox's thoughts were cut off as he realized that he had been staring blankly at the wall, and he quickly turned his attention back to the conversation at hand.

"-...so she comes in asking to me to make her a set of _perfect_ silverware, because she's got a couple of 'important' guests coming over. I couldn't turn her down, so I had to accept it... I finished it today; it's over on that shelf... At least it was good pay, you know? I mean, the last time..."

Kurama felt his concentration failing again, and he found himself walking over to the aforementioned shelf. As the boy had said, there was a finely-crafted set of silverware gleaming on its surface; four pairs of each utensil, perfectly aligned in the display box...

Unconsciously, the kitsune had reached up to examine one of the knives. He had taken it up and was flipping it over with slight interest before he became aware of a terrible burning sensation that eclipsed his hand.

Kurama glanced down in slight panic, his eyes widening when he saw that his skin had become a flaming red, and was now being covered by dark shades that seemed to be coming from the knife itself.

The pain intensified ten-fold, and Kurama immediately let out a cry of agony before collapsing to the ground.

**

* * *

**

**A/N**

**Slow Motion Runner: **You're welcome for the extra info... n.n; As for Hiei losing the Kokoryuuha... I don't know if he'll get it back, even when they return to their own dimension. ( That is, if I decide to let them! ) True, it's probably going to affect the Tantei greatly... more so than it already has. Finally, Hiei's revulsion to drinking the blood... As it will be revealed, our favorite Jaganshi now thinks of himself as a parasite, so to speak... A pathetic thing. ( Isn't it fun? I love making the characters depressed... Muaha. )

x. _tenshi_: 'angel'

x. _reiki: _Spirit Energy, from what I've heard.

x. _youki_: Demon Energy

x. It was a very slow and boring chapter, I know. Sadly, it was required for the story to progress, so... yeah. Don't worry; one more chapter and then you'll have the big full moon scene...

x. If the chapter title can get _any _stupider...

**x. Someone asked about making fanart for the story.** My reply is, go right ahead! I'd be overjoyed if someone went through the trouble to do that. n.n Honestly, please do, if you have the time and energy!


	7. Moonlit Serenade

**Death Dimension**

**Disclaimer:** **Yu Yu Hakusho belongs to Yoshihiro Togashi, Shonen Jump, FUNimation, etc. However, I _do _own Taikyo, Kathryn and Darryl Verne, the plot, the Shattered Sword Inn, and the alternate universe.**

**Warnings: This story contains _mild shonen ai_. If anyone has a problem with that, don't tell me. I don't care. Also, the story uses the traditional vampire theme, instead of the new "modern" one. Don't complain about it to me.**

**-**

**Alright, everyone.** **There's a rant up ahead, but it'd be nice if you read it so that you why I'm so pissed off, and learn how _not _to piss me off.**

The last chapter was damn hard to write, believe it or not. If you want to complain about the length, I'll make it shorter. If you want to complain about the time between updates, I'll post a new chapter every two months. It's annoying as hell when people bitch to me about things like that. Do you think it's easy to write something like this? News flash: it's not.

I'm not writing this for the reviews. I mean, hell, they're great and I love everyone who sends one in, but they're not why I write. I write because I get an idea that _needs_ to be put into words.

Another thing. I _know _that the chapter was rather dull. It's not my fault. It was _required _for the story to continue. I mean, look at _The Lord of the Rings_. Some of the parts in that book... Gah. The Council of Elrond? Psh, no way. I skipped that. It was pages and pages of people yapping about crap that I could care less about.

Anyway, back to the point. There's a boring scene in every story, though some may be much shorter than others. There're explanations, required dialogue, and just general points of the plot that _need _to happen if the story's going to get anywhere.

Finally, I'd just like to point out one thing, which I have mentioned every chapter... **_You will not find out what Kuwabara is for a long time._** When you do, it won't matter much for long. So please, **stop asking me about it!**

**-----**

**Chapter Seven: Moonlit Serenade**

**

* * *

**

_Unconsciously, the kitsune had reached up to examine one of the knives. He had taken it up and was flipping it over with slight interest before he became aware of a terrible burning sensation that eclipsed his hand._

_Kurama glanced down in slight panic, his eyes widening when he saw that his skin had become a flaming red, and was now being covered by dark shades that seemed to be coming from the knife itself._

_The pain intensified ten-fold, and Kurama immediately let out a cry of agony before collapsing to the ground._

At Kurama's shout, Yusuke's head snapped up in surprise, the kitsune's actions causing the conversation to come to an abrupt halt. The detective ran over to the redhead's side, quickly wrenching the knife from his grip.

Yusuke felt Hiei appear behind him, though he grabbed the Jaganshi's arm when he made to pick up the utensil. "Don't touch it. Silver is one of a vampire's weaknesses, remember?"

When Hiei didn't respond, the former hanyou turned his attention back to Kurama. The kitsune was whimpering pitifully, staring at the blood as it trickled down from his hand and onto the wooden floor below. When Yusuke reached up to gingerly examine the wound, the fox lept away, his eyes wide like those of a cornered animal's.

As Yusuke tried to calm Kurama down, Kuwabara rounded on Darryl and his apprentice. The boy gulped and edged behind his master, who looked puzzled when Kuwabara pointed an accusing finger at the pair of them.

"What'd you do to it?" he exclaimed, and Darryl's expression immediately shifted to one of anger.

"Nothing! What makes you think that it-?" the man started, though Kuwabara interrupted him.

"I bet you cursed it, or something!" the ningen yelled, his fists clenching.

The blacksmith glared at him. "How dare you accuse me of such a thing? It's not our fault that your idiot of a friend was stupid enough to touch something that would!"

Kuwabara was about to reply when Yusuke appeared next to him, holding a whimpering kitsune in his arms. "C'mon. We need to bandage Kurama's hand... It's obvious that we're not welcome here."

**---**

A low groan came from Yusuke as he rolled to his side once again. Due to his wings, it seemed utterly impossible to find a comfortable sleeping position. Sighing deeply, the tenshi resorted to lying on his stomach while resting his head on his crossed arms. From what he could tell, it appeared to be just past midnight, and he was the only one still awake.

A cold breeze suddenly swept through the room, and the detective pushed himself into a sitting position. With a quick glance around, his gaze landed on the balcony doors, which were both open wide. Yusuke looked back over the other beds.

...Kuwabara was lying on his back while the covers were strewn about haphazardly, snoring loudly...

...Hiei was curled up and shivering while he murmured his sister's name in a soft, whimpering-like voice. ('_He's having a nightmare about her, no doubt...' _Yusuke thought, sympathetically.)

...Kurama's bed was empty.

Yusuke's head whipped around as a melodious, and yet chilling voice floated in from outside. Behind him, the tenshi's wings fluttered slightly, conveying that he was unnerved. While being careful not to make a sound, the former hanyou crept out from under the covers and edged towards the doorway.

Stealthily, the detective peeked his head around the corner, instantly focusing on the figure standing on the balcony. However, when he recognized the person to be none other than Kurama, he faltered.

The kitsune was leaning over the railing dangerously, though he seemed to take no notice of it. The rather eerie voice was coming from him, as he appeared to be... singing? Kurama's gaze was directed at the sky; Yusuke followed it, finding him to be staring at the moon as if in a trance. (From what the tenshi remembered, it seemed to be around ninety-two-percent full, making it a Waxing Gibbous Moon. By tomorrow night, it would most likely be full.)

Trying to suppress his urge to interrupt and ask Kurama what the hell he was doing, Yusuke instead tried to figure out what he was _singing_... But as he listened, he found that it wasn't much of a song at all, but a poem...

"_I close my eyes and see the moon, shimmering a silver hue._

_It takes my breath and makes me sigh,_

_To see it there and shine so bright._

_I wonder if it's ever known what it's like to feel alone._

_To carry with you an emptiness,_

_Your heart reflecting an endless pit._

_How could it know what it's like to feel that way?_

_To feel so sad, so down and gray,_

_With all the stars for company._

_It dances with them happily._

_Then I opened up my eyes to find it floating in the sky,_

_And in that moment I did see,_

_I wasn't so alone or empty._

_For you see, the moon would always, always keep me company._

_And as I lay upon my bed its soft silver light caressed my head,_

_Lulled to sleep by its warming glow._

_There I had a magic dream,_

_I dreamt about the moon, it's soft, sweet silver hue._

_Like a rose in full bloom floating softly on the sea._

_And never was I sad again._

_For you see, I knew that every night the moon would tuck me in..."  
_

Yusuke stared at the kitsune in awe. Needless to say, He had never heard Kurama say anything so... well, pessimistic.

'_He's probably just... having an... off night. Yeah...' _The detective came up with the excuse quickly before retreating back into the room. Hiei's whimpering had increased, and so he made his way toward him, intent on comforting the Jaganshi in order to quiet him down. ( Otherwise, there'd be no chance of him getting any sleep at all. )

And yet while doing this, Yusuke kept his now-violet gaze on Kurama, who had started up yet another song...

**

* * *

**

**A/N**

**Hakudoshi-chan: **I'm actually not sure if this is going to turn into a YusukexHiei pairing. I might just leave it with no yaoi eventually, but I know that would make a lot of readers sad... So, the pairings might change. It just depends... But I really don't want this story to become infested with yaoi, as romance isn't the main genre. I might right a side-fic for this at one point, if I really get the inspiration... I 'unno. See the response to YokoYoukai's review for more information.

**YokoYoukai: **I wouldn't mind in the least if you dedicated something to me! I'd feel really honored... n.n Though, one thing... As this is my story, and because YusukexHiei is my favorite pairing, they may very well end up together. Yusuke's really the only one that I can see Hiei paired with. Kurama and Hiei are too secretive, and that would eventually create distrust between them, ending the relationship. I just realized that a while ago... Anyway, I wouldn't just have Kurama and Hiei's relationship cut off suddenly in here; there's going to be a reason for it...

x. Short and rather stupid chapter. Complain about it, and I won't update for two months. ( I already hate this chapter enough without you people telling me so. )

x. The poem is something that I found on www dot i love poetry dot com. It's by Crystal Johnson, and I claim no own to it.

**x. Hint:** (Just a review for Kuwabara.) What Kuwabara's become has something to do with the two "unknown creatures" that reside in Estatris. ( Big clue there, if you figure out what they are. ) Also, what he's turned into appears in the Harry Potter series. ( It's not a wizard, magic user, or anything of the sort. Nice try, though. )


	8. Trial By Moonlight

**Death Dimension**

**Disclaimer:** **Yu Yu Hakusho belongs to Yoshihiro Togashi, Shonen Jump, FUNimation, etc. However, I _do _own Taikyo, Kathryn and Darryl Verne, the plot, the Shattered Sword Inn, Griffin's Tavern, and the alternate universe. Estatris**

**References are made to the three following movies: "Dracula", "The Thirteenth Year", and "Van Helsing". I claim no ownership to them, obviously.**

**Warnings: This story contains _shonen ai_. If anyone has a problem with that, don't tell me. I don't care. Also, the story uses the traditional vampire theme, instead of the new "modern" one. Don't complain about it to me. Finally, werewolves, when transformed, will be depicted as regular wolves. I'm not a huge fan of the human-wolf hybrid form.**

**-----**

**Chapter Eight: Trial by Moonlight**

* * *

_Yusuke stared at the kitsune in awe. Needless to say, he had never heard Kurama say anything so... well, pessimistic._

'_**He's probably just... having an... off night. Yeah...'** The detective came up with the excuse quickly before retreating back into the room. Hiei's whimpering had increased, and so he made his way toward him, intent on comforting the Jaganshi in order to quiet him down. ( Otherwise, there'd be no chance of him getting any sleep at all. )_

_And yet while doing this, Yusuke kept his now-violet gaze on Kurama, who had started up yet another song..._

**---**

Sleepy emerald eyes peeked open as the rather loud chirping of birds reached their owner's ears. A light breeze was whistling through the trees on the ground below him, while the bright sunshine reflected off of the glass doors.

A frown immediately appeared on Kurama's visage. He sat up quickly, finding that he was lying on the balcony.

'_That's odd... Why would I be waking up out here...?' _the kitsune though as he pulled himself to is feet. He seemed to be the only one outside, too...

Obviously confused, Kurama slowly made his way back towards the room entrance, his steps slow and tired. However, as soon as he caught site of the bed that Hiei and himself shared, his gaze narrowed dangerously.

'_...Yusuke...?'_

Sure enough, the detective was there, having fallen asleep sitting up. He was leaning against the headboard, while Hiei was curled up beside him. Yusuke's hand was resting atop the kyuuketsuki's head, his fingers entwined in the ebony hair.

Kurama felt his fist clench at his side, the abnormally sharp nails digging into his palms. Without realizing what he was doing, the former Youko found himself striding over to the side of the bed, only becoming aware of his actions when he grabbed the tenshi by the front of his shirt and threw him across the room, sending several loose feathers flying.

Instantly, Yusuke was awakened. His eyes opened, quickly taking in his surroundings. He noticed the kitsune standing over him, and his gaze filled with confusion when he saw the rage in his friend's jade orbs.

"Kurama... What the hell are you doing?" he exclaimed, pushing himself into a sitting position while leaning on his hands.

"I could be asking you the same thing." Kurama spat back, blood dripping from the slits created by his semi-demonic claws.

"What are you talking a-?" Yusuke started, though he cut himself off when he glanced back at the bed. "...Oh... Listen, I can explain-!"

The fox interrupted him, glaring angrily. "I _trusted _you, Yusuke... Isn't Keiko-chan enough?"

The detective's eyes went wide as he comprehended what his teammate had sad, and he lept to his feet. "Kurama, if you think that I'm trying to 'steal' Hiei from you, you've got it all wrong! I was just-!"

Once again, the fox interjected. "Yes, Yusuke! What _were_ you doing? I'd love to hear it, because from what I saw, you were obviously trying to sleep w-!"

Yusuke's lips were pulled back in a snarl, his wings spread slightly. "You _idiot_! I woke up last night, and Hiei was having some kind of fit. I was tired, and I wanted to get some rest, but that would've been impossible with him whining like a whipped dog!" The former hanyou allowed a growl to escape him before he continued. "I went to comfort him, but then fell asleep on accident! It could've happen to anyone!"

Kurama watched the detective silently as he strode over to the door, grabbing his cloak on the way. While throwing it around his shoulders to conceal his wings, the tenshi glanced back. "But if you're going to wake me up and then yell at me about crap like that, then I'm leaving. I'll be at the bar if you need to accuse me of anything else."

As the door slammed in his face, Kurama turned back to look at the peacefully sleeping Jaganshi, unable to hide the flickers of hurt that appeared in his eyes.

**---**

"So, Fox-Boy, when do you think we'll be leaving? I mean... We've gotta try to find a way to get back home, and it won't be in this place, you know?"

The kitsune looked over to Kuwabara, who was leaning on the back of the chair he was sitting on. "Perhaps tomorrow... Though, we'll need to find means of transportation... As fit as we are, I highly doubt that we'll be able to trek through this land on foot, considering what we know about it. What do you think, Hiei?"

From across the room, the kyuuketsuki shifted slightly from his position against the wall. "Hn. Ask the detective. He's supposed to be the expert on things like this."

Kurama's gaze narrowed slightly before he turned it to Kuwabara. "He's downstairs in the tavern... Why don't you get him?"

"Why me?" the orange-haired youth asked, though he immediately shuddered at the icy look that Kurama sent his way. "Alright, alright... I'm going..."

**---**

As Kuwabara descended the flight of stairs that led to the pub, he fell into a defensive state of mind. Needless to say, he wasn't too fond of the inn they were staying at; though, that wasn't the main reason. Something was telling him that something terrible would happen today, and he was in no rush to be the victim of such an event.

Perhaps his sixth sense wasn't entirely gone, after all...

A sign was placed above the bar door, which the ningen quickly read out to be _'Griffin's Tavern'._ The name seemed odd to him, as he wasn't sure what a griffin was. Shrugging the matter off, he pushed open the door only to be greeted by a round of obnoxiously loud talking and the scent of alcohol.

Kuwabara glanced around the tavern, finding it to be much like the ones back home. The only difference was the lack of electricity and stone countertops. (As it appeared, the main building item in this dimension was... wood.)

Frowning, the youth scanned the different people once again, this time finding his friend in one of the shadowy back corners with a table to himself. He began to shove his way through the uproarious crowd, letting out a relieved sigh when he reached Yusuke.

Some of that relief ebbed away when he saw the light blush that stained the tenshi's cheeks, signifying that he was completely drunk, or close to it. However, Kuwabara was surprised to see that the detective had only consumed two bottles, along with half of another which was clutched loosely in his hand.

"Geez, Urameshi. I thought that you could knock back a **lot **more than three shots before you got stoned!" he exclaimed.

A lopsided grin appeared on Yusuke's visage as he looked up at his teammate. "...This is stronger stuff then what we have back home..." He was going to say more, but was cut off as he hiccupped.

Kuwabara rolled his eyes. "C'mon... This is no time to be drunk! We need to meet Fox-Boy and the shrimp outside."

Yusuke took a swig from the bottle before he replied in a whining voice. "But _why_...?"

"Because we just have to, okay!" Kuwabara exclaimed, and he promptly grabbed the detective by the hood of his cloak, choking him a bit. "Now c'mon, and stop wasting time!"

As his friend proceeded to drag him from the tavern, Yusuke took one last wistful drink before dropping the empty glass bottle to the floor, where it shattered instantly.

**---**

After discussing the matter with Yusuke, he had instantly come up with the most idealistic mode of transportation for them: horses.

Luckily for them, the streets weren't as crowded as the day before, which made it much easier for them to locate the stables, which were at the edge of the town. According to Kathryn, the city of Escea was known for its equines, as they had a wide selection of different breeds, all in perfect condition for what the Tantei needed them for.

When they arrived at the ranch, they were bombarded by the smell of hay and animals. There were around thirty stalls on each side of the building, each occupied by a majestic horse. Some were pawing at the ground below them, their hooves scrapping against the stone like nails on a chalkboard, only to a lesser extent. Others were chewing slowly on the hay laid out for them, while a few were merely staring around in boredom.

On the opposite end of the stable, a large group of people surrounded a single stall. Whatever they were ogling at was blocked from view, though it was apparent that it was of great interest.

Kurama turned his curious gaze away from the crowd, instead focusing on the other selection. "Alright, well... I suppose that we should each search for our own, ne?"

Hiei watched silently as the rest of the Tantei spread out, browsing about the animals. He stayed where he was, having no desire to rush. In truth, he didn't like the idea of relying on something else to travel. Not that he hadn't ridden on a horse before, of course. He had once, when he was still young, living in the Makai...

The Jaganshi frowned before turning his gaze to the others. Kurama was stroking a steeple-gray thoroughbred's face, smiling as it nudged his hand. Kuwabara was looking at a large, gangly mustang, his features contorted in thought.

Yusuke, though... He was talking to a sleek black stallion whose breed was undeterminable. When Hiei listened closely, he found that the tenshi was actually _hitting_ on the horse, apparently still under the influence of the alcohol he had consumed. The horse, in turn, seemed to be laughing at his antics.

The former youkai shook his head in slight disbelief before glancing around at the selection once more. To him, most of them were nearly identical: shades of brown and beige. However, a chestnut-colored mare caught his eye soon enough, and with a small sigh, he began to approach it.

Yet as soon as he was roughly three steps away from her, the horse reared backwards while letting out a loud _neigh_ of fright. Hiei leapt back from the stall as she began to buck wildly, only settling down when he retreated. Once at a safe distance, the Jaganshi bared his fangs at the mare. Perhaps it was only 'disturbed', but it had truthfully startled him.

Shrugging the matter off, the kyuuketsuki turned instead to a pinto, and once more tried to move towards the horse; it too began to kick about, its large black eyes wide in what seemed to be terror. Hiei backed away from it as well, his small frame shaking with pent up anger. He would like no more than to slaughter all of these wretched animals... And he was about to do just that when a woman approached him.

Briefly, Hiei recalled glimpsing her in the crowd clustered at the back of the barn. Apparently, the frantic cries from the two horses had drawn her attention over here. "Aye, havin' a bit o' trouble there, vamp'?"

Instantly, Hiei had rounded on her, his crimson orbs having already been blazing. How _dare_ that idiotic human wench speak to him as if they were equals? His lip pulled back in a snarl, his fangs suddenly aching to be imbedded in her throat. The urge came from no where, but Hiei found that he was about to willingly submit to it.

That is, until Yusuke and Kurama strode up.

Hiei's wrists were grabbed by one of the two, knowing it to be the tenshi when Kurama strode in front of him. The kyuuketsuki let out a rage-filled growl, though it cut off when Yusuke tightened his grip; while this quieted him, Hiei only began to struggle against the detective. (Also, it was made clear that the alcohol effect had started to wear off just enough for Yusuke to think clearly.)

Ignoring the subtle 'fight' going on behind him, Kurama turned his attention to the woman. "May I inquire as to why you were speaking with our friend?"

With crossed arms, the female replied, her voice carrying what seemed akin to a Scottish accent, of all things. "Well, the horses started actin' up when he got near 'em, an' I was curious abou' it. Besides, he was already angry when I got 'ere!"

Yusuke let out a snort of disbelief, paying no attention to the fact that Hiei had started to nip at his arms. "Do you really think that a horse will let a vampire ride it? They're smart animals, and know the difference between good and evil!"

The human rolled her eyes. "So then he should've known that, too. I can't help it if he's stupid."

Kurama cleared his throat loudly, trying to control his tone. "Be that as it may... I suppose I must apologize for our friend's... _attitude_." - (Hiei growled once again at that comment.) - "Now, if you don't mind me asking... What do the people over there find so interesting?"

"Oh, _that_." the woman muttered, apparently still agitated. She glanced back at the crowd behind her before continuing. "Someone bloke caught a rogue unicorn, of all things. They're talkin' 'bout what t' do with it."

The kitsune raised a brow, feigning a mixed tone of curiosity and something akin to shock. "_Rogue_ unicorn? I wasn't aware that such a thing existed." He ignored Yusuke's whispered comment of, _'That's bull, Fox-Boy!'_

"They're very rare beasts. These ones are the complete opposite of your regular unicorn; all black and dark, red eyes, too. If ya' had to categorize 'em, they'd be righ' up there with _your_ kind." she said, directing the last phrase to Hiei. The vampire merely snarled at her again.

There was a short pause in which no one spoke, though it ended when Kurama's eyes widened a bit. He glanced back to the woman. "How much for the rogue?"

"Um... I'd have to say around three or four hundred gold pieces... Why do you ask?" the ningen replied, looking at the group in suspicion.

Yusuke's grip lessened in surprise, giving Hiei the opportunity to free his wrists, which left the detective clutching the former demon's upper body. "Kurama, are you insane? What the hell would we do with it?"

The kitsune turned his gaze to the tenshi. "Were you not listening? Vampires and 'rogue' unicorns are supposedly placed under the Dark element... Perhaps there is a chance that it will allow Hiei to ride it." Yusuke looked as if he was going to continue the argument, but stopped as a yelp came from him as the Jaganshi started to gnaw on his arm with renewed vigor.

"Anyway... Let's make it seven-hundred gold pieces, to include the other three horses as well. Would you like me to pay you right now?" Kurama questioned as he returned his attention to the woman once more, hiding a smirk at her flabbergasted expression.

**---**

A ferocious growl escaped Hiei as the tenshi pushed him into a corner of their inn room. Kurama and Kuwabara were watching from a ways away, the former showing that he was utterly concerned.

"Dammit, Detective! Get the hell away from me!" the Jaganshi yelled, lunging at Yusuke, who dodged easily.

"It's for your own good, idiot!" Yusuke exclaimed before shoving the kyuuketsuki to the ground. A small whining noise came from Kurama as he watched, too worried to be angry.

"Yusuke... Is this really necessary?" the kitsune whimpered.

"Because it's the night of the full moon, hell yes! Tonight is when vampires are thrown into the worst bloodlust that they'll ever experience; no matter how much they feed, their thirst won't be quenched until the next day. Considering the fact that they're taken over by their more animalistic mind, they'll attack anything they see in the search for blood." Yusuke said all of this calmly while pulling out the Holy wards they had purchased the day before. "_That's _why we need to bind him."

As Yusuke muttered the activation spell, the slips of paper began to glow brightly, the writing on them shining eerily. Hiei's crimson eyes widened as he felt the Pure energy rolling off of them in waves, tainting his essence. He scrambled about madly, his claws raking across the adjacent walls behind him as he tried to press himself against the floor. "Don't you _dare_-!"

The kyuuketsuki was cut off as one of the wards was pressed against his wrist. The bright white energy traveled up his arm before spreading throughout the rest of his body, forcing Hiei to shriek loudly. The intensity of the sound made the others wince, though Yusuke continued to place the wards upon his friend. One went on Hiei's other wrist, another on his chest. Two bound his legs, while two more were placed on the back of his neck and between his shoulder blades.

Through all of this, the Jaganshi cried out, his eyes wide in disbelief and pain. Even as a demon, such things hadn't affected him so greatly; perhaps only stunning him for a bit. Never had a sutra like this led to him screaming, and just the thought of that almost caused his cheeks to flush with embarrassment; and he would've if he wasn't preoccupied with trying to kill Yusuke.

The detective lept back as Hiei's claws flew through the air, raking through the space that his head had been moments before. The energy was covering most, if not all, of the vampire, and would soon paralyze him, or knock him out if the Holy power generated was strong enough.

As soon as that thought had crossed his mind, Hiei had started to appear lethargic. When his talons swung through the air, the act wasn't as swift as usual; if anything, it looked as if it was a pathetic, submissive attempt to attack.

(Of course, Yusuke kept that opinion to himself.)

Eventually, Hiei's arms fell limp at his sides, leaving him panting heavily as the energy continued to course through him. With a groan, the kyuuketsuki slumped to the ground, but not without giving Yusuke one last glare before his eyes fell closed, signifying that he was unconscious.

**---**

A small sound of relief came from the tenshi as he alighted upon the balcony railing. He'd really gotten the hang of this flying thing; as he'd been 'practicing' every night, he'd become quite good at it. And flying under the full moon was even better.

Grinning to himself, Yusuke jumped down from the banister, the action causing a few loose feathers to fall from his wings. Barely noticing what he was doing, the detective caught one of them between his fingers and started to twirl it about, gazing at the gossamer feather fondly. _'I have to admit... I really like this change. Having wings isn't as bad as I thought...'_

Yusuke was jostled from his thoughts as a figure suddenly appeared in the doorway. He instantly recognized it to be Kurama, though something seemed different about him. The kitsune's scarlet locks were tousled, looking much more rugged, as if he hadn't brushed his hair in several days. However, his emerald eyes were the complete opposite, looking bright and excited. If Yusuke didn't know better, he'd say that they were _glowing_ in the dark.

Despite the appearance of his eyes, the fox's voice was tainted with nervousness. "Yusuke, could I speak with you?"

The former hanyou frowned in slight confusion. Wasn't Kurama still angry with him over what had happened earlier? "Er... Sure."

After a quarter of an hour, the two found themselves inside the forest that they had appeared in. They didn't stray too far in, instead lingering a ways away from the boundary. Kurama reminded him that they should keep the town in their sights so as to prevent them becoming lost... again.

Exhaling quietly, the detective leaned against a tree as they came to stop in a small clearing, quite similar to the one that he had woken up in. Brushing the thought aside, he glanced over to his companion, noting how disheveled he looked. "...Kurama, is something wrong?"

The kitsune hesitated before replying. "To be honest, I'm not sure. I was hoping that you would have an idea after the incident with the silverware..."

Yusuke nodded, falling silent. Once a few minutes had passed, he spoke up again. "...Listen, I'm sorry about what happened this morning. I just-."

A chuckle escaped Kurama. "Say no more. I spoke to Hiei about it as well, and he says that he has no knowledge of what was going on. As you said, he was fast asleep..."

A sound of relief came from the tenshi as silence enveloped the two once more. Yusuke glanced up at the bright moon, which was completely covered by a cloud at the moment. Despite his mental protests, he found his thoughts straying _back _to Hiei, wondering how the former demon was dealing with the bloodlust. He just hoped that Hiei hadn't removed the wards somehow and killed Kuwabara.

"Yusuke?"

The kuro no tenshi was drawn out of his thoughts by Kurama's voice. "Yeah?"

"Nothing. You just looked like you were in a trance." the redhead replied, a small smile gracing his lips.

"No, just thinking..." Yusuke murmured. However, the kitsune's words had brought the events of last night to his mind. "Wait... Speaking of trances, Kurama..."

His friend looked up at him. "Ne?"

"...Last night, you had gotten out of bed and went outside. I felt the wind coming through the doors and it woke me up. Naturally, I followed you." the detective said. "You were singing to the moon, like you had been hypnotized by it..."

Kurama frowned, slightly confused. "I don't remember doing that, though that would explain why I woke up on the balcony... But how would that help us?"

"I don't know..." Yusuke said softly. He could sense that something wasn't right. The silver, the trance... They were both pointing right at the answer, but he still couldn't think of the creature...

"Damn... I can't remember!" Yusuke exclaimed, clenching his fists.

Kurama looked at him in slight sympathy. "It's fine, Yusuke. Don't strain yourself. It's quite all right if we don't know what I am... We don't know about Kuwabara, either."

The dark angel shook his head. "Exactly... I should know these things, Kurama! I've seen almost every movie on supernatural creatures! I mean, c'mon! That one with Dracula, the old one? I've seen that ten times! I've even seen one about some kid turning into a merman! And then, the movie..."

As the tenshi continued to talk, Kurama's gaze wandered up to the moon, which was almost completely uncovered. He couldn't stop himself from staring at it with a dazed look in his eyes. It was so bright, so utterly gorgeous... Slowly, the cloud unveiled the full moon, and his emerald eyes lit up.

"...You know, where that sexy princess Anna teams up with that cool hunter guy - what was his name, Gabriel or something? - to go up against Dracula?" Yusuke asked, but when he received no response, he glanced over at his companion. "Hey, Kur-?"

The detective cut himself off when he saw how Kurama was bathed in moonlight, his eyes shining eerily. Suddenly, the former Youko's form went rigid as he let out a gasp of pain.

Yusuke looked at him in concern. "Hey, Fox-Boy, what's-?"

However, before he could finish, Kurama sank to his knees, clutching his head. The angel watched this in utter confusion as he slowly began approaching his teammate.

Yet before he could say anything else, Kurama let out an ear-splitting cry. To Yusuke's amazement, the agony-filled cry began to sound more like the wounded call of an animal...

Kurama's hands and feet shrunk, forming into paws before accumulating a rich red fur. The fur rapidly began to spread across his body, quickly consuming him completely. A sleek tail protruded from the base of Kurama's spine, through his skin and clothing.

His howls seemed to shake the very trees of the forest, and Yusuke began to back away, his eyes wide in shock. The former Youko sprouted two wolf-like ears a top his head, his eyes watering in anguish. The cracking of bones rung throughout as his form shrunk to match the body structure of a wolf, while his nose and mouth elongated to form a whiskered muzzle.

Yusuke backed up against a large oak tree, staring at the creature in front of him. He looked on in horror as the beast got to its feet before turning to face him.

"...Oh, shit."

* * *

**A/N**

x. Yeah, um... Rogue unicorns. 'No clue where I came up with those things.

x. Do I get points for confusing you? n.n; If you have any questions, just put 'em in your review, but only after you've thought about it for a while.

x. I was originally going to make this chapter a lot longer, but I decided that you've waited long enough, so the "second part" to this will be in the next chapter... And that'll be up... eventually...

x. "_Perhaps his sixth sense wasn't entirely gone, after all..."_: This **is not** a clue for Kuwabara. His sixth sense hasn't really returned; that's just what he thinks.


End file.
